Overwhelmed by a massive influx of desperate refugees, Lebanon began imposing unprecedented visa restrictions on Syrians today, including those fleeing their country's civil war.
"Today we began implementing the new entry measures and Syrians at the borders have begun presenting their documents to enter," a source at Lebanon's general security agency said.
The visa restrictions are the first in the history of the two countries and come as Lebanon struggles to deal with more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees.
The influx has tested the limited resources of the country, as well as the patience of its citizens, particularly in the wake of deteriorating security in areas like Arsal, a border town in eastern Lebanon hosting tens of thousands of refugees.
For months, Lebanon's government has sounded the alarm, warning the international community that it could no longer deal with the influx.
In October, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas announced that Lebanon "no longer officially receives any displaced Syrians," with exceptions on humanitarian grounds only.
He told AFP that the new visa requirement was intended to limit the flood of new arrivals.
"The goal is to prevent (Syrians) from taking refuge" in Lebanon, and "to more seriously regulate the entry of Syrians."
Khalil Jebara, adviser to Lebanon's interior minister, said the country would continue to provide humanitarian exceptions, but that restrictions were needed.
"We respect our international obligations... We will not expel anyone and there will be humanitarian exceptions," he said.
"But it's high time to regulate the issue of Syrians entering Lebanon," he added.
"Their presence imposes a great security, economic and social burden on Lebanon, and pressure that the infrastructure can no longer take."
Unlike Jordan and Turkey, Lebanon declined to create refugee camps, meaning refugees are dispersed throughout the country.
The country has seen its already fragile security situation deteriorate, with jihadists from Syria briefly overrunning Arsal in August and kidnapping several dozen Lebanese police and soldiers.
UN refugee agency UNHCR has registered 1.1 million arrivals, but many more are thought to be in the country unregistered, and thousands have entered Lebanon through illegal crossings.
