In the northern Lebanese town of Kouba, situated between Batroun and Selaata, security agents have forced approximately 1,100 undocumented Syrian refugees to leave by the end of the day, in accordance with an ultimatum issued to them in recent weeks — part of broader measures taken by the authorities to organize, either voluntarily or by foce, the deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.

The expulsion of Syrians from Kouba was ordered by North Lebanon mohafez (governor) Ramzi Nohra and is being overseen by Kouba Mayor Roger Toubia, with the support of a State Security patrol.

Two cars belonging to State Security were seen patrolling the coastal town around 1 p.m., warning any remaining Syrians to leave. The doors of the already-evacuated homes had been sealed with red wax and a number of families were seen packing up their tents and homes in the al-Sahel and Saki Kouba neighborhoods on Tuesday, laying their bags and belongings outside in anticipation of their departure.

Most of the dwellings along the agricultural road in eastern Kouba appeared to be mostly deserted.

"Most of them left a few days ago,” says Walid*, who has lived and worked in Lebanon since before the war in Syria broke out. “I was able to stay because I have a residency permit.”

His wife fled Aleppo in 2014, joining him in Lebanon with their five children. "We can't go anywhere anymore, and the rent is far too high," she says.

‘Scattered everywhere’

Fatima*, a Syrian refugee among those ordered by State Security to leave the town, is unsure what to do. Her husband, a farmer, had left two days earlier.

"He's now in the Bekaa. We're scattered all over the place," she says. She fears that if she returns to Syria, her children, aged 15 and 16, will be forced into military service. "I don't want to send them to their deaths.”

All along the roadside, are the emptied homes of Syrians forced to flee, with two week’s notice. Najah, a refugee who fled the city of Hama in 2014, says her husband was unable to renew his residency permit. Like Fatima, she fears for her children. She too, hears reports of Syrians returning to the country only to disappear "into the hands of the regime.”

The crackdown on Syrians is not confined to Kouba. The municipality in Fneidek, Akkar region, announced on Tuesday a program for registering its Syrian residents.

Approximately 160 families, mostly working in construction and related fields went to the municipality to register their names and personal details, as they were ordered to do "on pain of prosecution."

The municipality informed landowners renting to Syrians that they are required to register any rental contracts signed with Syrian tenants. The Fneidek mayor also warned against people entering into new rental agreements without prior consultation with the municipality.

Mahmara, another coastal village, has required "owners of establishments belonging to the 'Syrian brothers,'" to register their companies within 15 days, in accordance with a prior Interior Ministry circular.

Residents were also warned not to rent property to Syrian refugees until they have provided proof of registration with the municipality and legal residency in Lebanon.

The evacuations and crackdowns come amid growing hostility towards Syrians in Lebanon — on a sharp uptick since a Lebanese Forces official was murdered and his body found over the border in Syria.

Following a so-called "voluntary return" convoy to Syria in mid-May, in which only 200 of the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living the country opted to return, the police evacuated almost 1,500 Syrians living in a commercial complex and nearby camp in Deddeh, Koua district, North Lebanon. Syrian in Batroun have faced similar evictions.

The head of the UNHCR office in Lebanon, Ivo Freijsen, faced criticism after opposing a series of what he called "inhumane measures" against undocumented Syrians.

Additionally, the European Union, which pledged €1 billion to Lebanon under the guise of economic support, has faced accusations of leveraging financial aid to bribe Lebanon into preventing Syrians from leaving for Europe from Lebanese shores.

However, on Monday, the EU pledged an additional €2 billion to support Syrian refugees in the region during a meeting in Brussels, emphasizing that Syrians should not be "forced to return" to their war-torn homeland.