Lebanon's Interior Minister, Bassam Al Mawlawi, has pointed to the assassination of Pascal Sleiman, a coordinator of the Lebanese Forces Party, as the catalyst for recent anti-Syrian violence and increased political friction within Lebanon.

Speaking after a meeting with security and military officials, Mawlawi highlighted a surge in crimes committed by Syrians, with approximately 35% of detainees in Lebanese prisons being Syrian nationals.

He emphasized the need to curb the Syrian presence in Lebanon and instructed security forces to rigorously enforce Lebanese laws concerning Syrian refugees. Amid mounting tensions following Sleiman's assassination, Mawlawi called for calm among the Lebanese populace. The incident not only fueled anti-Syrian sentiments but also deepened existing political divides within Lebanon.

While initially categorized as a robbery by Lebanese military authorities, the Lebanese Forces party suspects Sleiman's murder had underlying political motives. Lebanon, with a population exceeding 6 million, including a substantial refugee population, hosts nearly 785,000 Syrian refugees registered with the UN, though Lebanese officials estimate the actual number could be much higher.

Following Sleiman's abduction and subsequent discovery of his body, videos circulated depicting Lebanese individuals attacking Syrians in the streets and vandalizing vehicles with Syrian license plates across the country, further exacerbating political and sectarian tensions among Lebanon's fractured political factions.

Recent incidents, such as the torching of a Syrian Social Nationalist Party ambulance in Bayssour Town and an attack on the SSNP headquarters in Jdita, where perpetrators raised the Lebanese Forces party flag, underscore the volatile situation in Lebanon.