BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army intercepted Sunday a small boat carrying 10 Syrians and a Lebanese attempting an illegal sea crossing out of the troubled country.

A military statement said a naval force spotted the boat off the northern port city of Tripoli and that its 11 passengers were all detained and referred for investigation, the army added.

Their journey's end was not specified but European Union member Cyprus, has been a popular sea smuggling destination in recent months.

In May, the Lebanese army intercepted a boat near Tripoli carrying 60 people, including 59 Syrians.

Lebanon, home to more than six million people, hosts more than a million Syrian refugees.

They have been hit hard by widening poverty rates and growing food insecurity brought on by the country's economic crisis.

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