(MENAFN) As shown in a statement issued by Lebanon's Council of Ministers, interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati cautioned on Monday that if the international community fails to assist, Lebanon will resort to legal methods to return Syrian refugees to their homeland.

Mikati stated amid a meeting also joined by Lebanese Minister for Social Affairs Hector Hajjar and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi, "I call on the international community to cooperate with Lebanon to return the displaced Syrians to their country. Otherwise, Lebanon will adopt an undesirable stance toward western countries by working on removing Syrians from Lebanon by legal means."

The conference established the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan 2022-2023, a multi-stakeholder plan co-led by the Lebanese government and the United Nations that intends to assist 1.5 million Lebanese who need it, 1.5 million displaced Syrians, and more than 209,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The Lebanese government and its national and international partners requested 3.2 billion US dollars at the conference to provide crucial assistance to those in need and to strengthen Lebanon's public infrastructure, services, and local economy.

"With the continuing impact of the Syria crisis and the current economic crisis in Lebanon pushing everyone to the brink, partners' joint efforts to support refugees and the host community through the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan remain essential," stated Rochdi, the UN envoy.

"Nine out of 10 Syrians in Lebanon are living in poverty, and the poverty levels have also risen substantially for Lebanese, migrants and Palestinians. These circumstances are driving negative coping mechanisms, as families are forced to send their children to work instead of school, skip meals or incur debt," she highlighted.

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