Nearly 34,000 refugees flood Lebanon from Syria

As fighting in Syria between rebels and government forces increases many Syrians are fleeing to Lebanon. The United Nations Commission for Refugees(UNCHR) estimates there are nearly 34,000 refugees in Lebanon. The Lebanese refugees receive aid from the Lebanese government, the UN and also non-governmental agencies.

So far a total of 31,596 people are already registered with UNHCR. Thousands surged through the border after the July 18-19 clashes in Damascus. Now there are fierce battles taking place in Aleppo as well.

   However, some Syrians are returning. Many Syrians only remain until their home areas are more secure. UNHCR claims that preliminary estimates indicate that only a relatively few refugees require humanitarian assistance. Other reports indicate that profiteers are exploiting the new arrivals who seek shelter, food, and often medical assistance
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Many of the refugees are families but often lack young adult males. Some seek refuge in the homes of relatives. Those who can afford it seek apartments or rooms to rent. The influx has caused prices to soar but some property owners are also using the shortage to exploit the refugees.

 While the busy Masnaa crossing is crowded with international media according to this site there is no official Lebanese presence to provide aid. Apparently some people already in Lebanon pretend they have fled from Syria in order to receive aid. No doubt as the security situation in Syrian deteriorates further Lebanon will find it more and more difficult to deal with the influx of refugees. For more see this article.