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Homsi, an American journalist of Syrian origin, said that when officers came to her apartment without a warrant on Nov. 16, "I didn't understand why, because no complaint was filed against me." She suggested that she might have been targeted for her pro-Palestine public stances and for her work as a journalist.

Speaking to the Human Rights Watch, Homsi’s lawyer, Diala Chehade, said that General Security officials raided Homsi’s apartment on Nov. 16 without a legal warrant and discovered a small quantity of cannabis. According to Chehade, the police then contacted the public prosecutor, who issued an arrest warrant for Homsi and her partner. Her electronics and documents were also seized by the authorities. Although the public prosecutor ordered Homsi’s release on Nov. 25, General Security issued a deportation order against her and continued to hold her in detention.

“Not only did General Security officers raid Homsi’s apartment without producing a judicial warrant, but they also violated her rights in detention by denying her access to a lawyer,” said Aya Majzoub, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch.