Lebanon migrant boat: 22 rescued off Tripoli

Lebanese naval forces, civil defence teams and the Red Cross rescued 22 people from a broken-down boat off Tripoli on Tuesday, the Lebanese military said.

The military said the boat was being used in an attempt to smuggle people illegally out of Lebanon. It said work was continuing to rescue remaining passengers, but did not say how many people had been aboard.

Lebanon's official National News Agency earlier reported that more than 20 passengers were Syrians and the rest were Lebanese.

Migrants and asylum seekers leaving Lebanon by boat often try to reach Cyprus, less than 200 kilometres away in the eastern Mediterranean. Lebanon's economic collapse since late 2019 and the effects of Syria's 2011-2024 civil war have driven irregular migration from the country.

UNHCR estimates that about 1.12 million Syrians remain refugees in Lebanon, while about 400,000 Syrians returned from Lebanon to Syria in 2025.