400 fleeing Syrians stopped in Beirut

Four hundred Syrians who were trying to fly to Turkey were stopped at the Beirut airport on Friday and were being forced to return to Damascus instead, in a chaotic episode that illustrated how options are narrowing for those trying to flee the war in Syria.

The state-run National News Agency of Lebanon said that the passengers were being turned back because of new Turkish regulations that require Syrians to have a visa to enter the country by air or sea. The new rules, which took effect Friday, close off what had been one of the easiest ways out of the country for Syrians who could afford airfare or ferry tickets, and a primary route for those planning to try to reach Western Europe on smugglers’ boats.

It was not clear how many of the 400 passengers were refugees.