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Fire breaks out in Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon

No injuries were reported but a large number of tents were destroyed in the fire

A huge fire broke out in a camp for displaced Syrians in the town of Hanine, in northern Lebanon, destroying a large number of tents.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and there were no reports of casualties, RT Arabic reported.

The presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has become a contentious issue with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib warning that "the Syrian displacement file has begun to pose a threat not only to the Lebanese social structure and economic stability, but also to the continued existence of Lebanon as an entity." He added that Lebanon is not a country of asylum.

Commenting on the EU's new 16-point resolution on Lebanon, which says "the conditions required for a voluntary and dignified return of [Syrian] refugees are not present," the head of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, asked: "With what right does the European Union demand that, and with what authority does it impose on us what it does not accept on its countries?"

Minister of the Displaced, Issam Sharaf El-Din, described the European Union's decision as "arbitrary and unacceptable", adding that it was "blatant interference in our national affairs."

READ: Heatwave 2023: Wildfires hit Tunisia

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