UNHCR: Israel's border air strikes hindering refugees fleeing Lebanon for Syria

Israeli air strikes overnight on the main border crossing to Syria left Lebanon’s main crossing point to its neighbour unable to function, hindering refugee attempts to flee a country where a fifth of the population is already internally displaced, the UN’s refugee agency said according to Reuters.

Rula Amin, the UNHCR’s Amman-based spokesperson, said she was unaware of any warning being given before the strike, which landed 500 metres from the main border crossing.

Some 430,000 people have crossed from Lebanon to Syria since Israel’s campaign started, she said.

“The attacks on the border crossings are a major concern,” she said. “They are blocking the path to safety for people fleeing conflict.”

Lebanon’s two eastern border crossings with Syria closed, Lebanon’s Transport MAli Hamieh said earlier today, after an Israeli strike on the Syrian side of the Al-Qaa border crossing leaving it unusable.

Strikes earlier this month put the main Masnaa crossing out of service, leaving Lebanon’s northern border crossing as the only open route into Syria.

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