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Arsal battle brings Syrian refugee issue to the fore in Lebanon

Since the Arsal battle, Lebanon has been taking a new look at its Syrian refugee crisis, which it has been struggling with for years.
Syrian refugees, fleeing the recent fighting in Arsal, wait with their belongings in Majdel Anjar in the Bekaa valley, near the Lebanese border with Syria August 8, 2014. The refugees, who had sought shelter in Arsal, were attempting to head back to Syria; however, they say Syrian authorities at the border rejected them until further investigation to verify their identities and statuses. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR41Q6X
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The importance of the Syrian refugee issue remained of utmost importance throughout the past three years, despite the plethora of serious Lebanese political, economic and social dossiers. But the latest incidents in Arsal pushed the matter to the forefront, giving it the impetus it lacked as a result of the Lebanese government’s lack of a unified stance toward the Syrian crisis.

Will the Arsal developments push Lebanese authorities to take exceptional steps and measures, now that all the parties have sensed the gravity of the “chaotic exodus”? And, what are the feasible solutions that have been proposed now that the Arsal events have clearly shown that a large number of gunmen originated from Bekaa Valley refugee camps, particularly those around Arsal?

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