Lebanon has opened its doors to Assyrian Christians who are fleeing the Islamic State in Syria.
According to the Daily Star, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk ruled that the Assyrians had an exceptional case that qualified them for exemption from the current policy of the Lebanese government regarding the entry of refugees from Syria.
Machnouk had declared in January that "Lebanon has no ability to receive more refugees" and introduced a policy that classified individuals who can enter the country into six categories.
Human Rights Watch's Syria and Lebanon researcher Lama Fakih told Robert Siegel of NPR that Syrians can now only enter Lebanon "if they're students, if they're coming for tourism, for work, if they own property in the country, if they're coming for medical treatment or if they're transiting."
State Minister Nabil De Freij was instrumental in securing the entry of more than 5,000 Assyrians who were fleeing the Islamic State's attacks against Christian villages in Syria last week. De Freij, together with Assyrian community leader in Lebanon Bishop Yatron Guliano, met with Machnouk and General Security chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim to discuss the plight of the Assyrians.
The Daily Star said that the Assyrian refugees will be staying "with relatives or in homes provided by the church."
The Islamic State launched attacks in villages in Syria's northeastern Hassakeh province over several days last week, kidnapping a total of 220 Assyrian Christians. Twenty-nine of these Assyrian Christians were eventually released on Sunday, activist group Observatory for Human Rights said.
Assyrian Christians based in Beirut went on a protest march on Saturday to show solidarity with their Syrian brethren. The Beirut Assyrians demanded action from the United Nations with regards to the plight of their fellow Assyrians who are being threatened by the Islamic State in Syria, and urged the international community to "save the Christians in the Middle East."
