Unofficial figures indicate that their number is about 3500 people, most of them Christians and Shiites, and they entered Israel during the withdrawal of its army from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Regarding that, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al Rai said that the general amnesty law should address the situation of Lebanese who took refuge in Israel, according to the law issued in 2011 on this issue.

The Lebanese Parliament had approved in 2011 law number 194, which aims to address the situation of Lebanese refugees in Israel.

The flags of Lebanon and Israel (illustrative image).

The law aims to regulate and define the legal mechanism for the prosecution or return of Lebanese who fled to Israel. It is divided into two main parts based on Article 1:

Military and security personnel: Lebanese who joined the South Lebanon Army militia in a military or security capacity are subject to fair trial before the Lebanese judiciary upon their return. They are arrested at border crossing points and handed over to the Lebanese army.

Civilians and families: Citizens who were not involved in military or security activities, including the families, wives, and children of military personnel, are allowed to return. The Directorate of Intelligence of the Lebanese Army, under the supervision of the Minister of Justice and the Public Prosecutor, was tasked with establishing the practical mechanism for this return and coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross to organize lists of those wishing to return. The law also stipulates that the amnesty grant is revoked for any Lebanese person present in Israel who does not return to Lebanese territory within one year from the date of publication of the implementing decrees.

Despite the law being passed in 2011, available figures indicate that only a few hundred have returned in the years that followed, amid investigations and military trials.