UN: 30,000 People Fled from Lebanon to Syria in Three Days

The United Nations Refugee Agency announced on Friday, October 6, that over 30,000 people, mostly Syrian citizens, have fled from Lebanon to Syria in the past 72 hours due to escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah. Gonzalo Vargas Yosa, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Syria, stated that about 80% of them are Syrian and around 20% are Lebanese. He added that nearly half of these individuals are children and adolescents, and men have crossed the border at a lower rate compared to women. Approximately 1.5 million Syrians who have fled the civil war in their country live in Lebanon. Vargas Yosa said in a press conference in Geneva, "These individuals are fleeing from a war-torn country to one that has been in crisis for 13 years." He mentioned that the UNHCR is working with the Syrian government and its partners to facilitate the acceptance and care of these individuals, and Syria is allowing Lebanese nationals to enter for an indefinite period, provided they have identification to prove their identity. As tensions rise between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli Foreign Minister has rejected global calls for a ceasefire with the Iran-backed group, and Israeli airstrikes continue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated on Thursday, October 5, that as long as Hezbollah continues to launch rockets, Israel's attacks against the group will continue "with full force." Recent clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have marked the worst tensions between them in over 18 years, partly related to the Gaza war. Overall, more than 200,000 people in Lebanon have been forced to leave their homes due to the conflicts. With the intensification of Israeli military operations against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, concerns about the potential expansion of the conflict to other areas in the region have increased. Hezbollah was established in 1982 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Several countries, including the United States, Israel, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Australia, have designated the group as a terrorist organization. Iranian proxies in Iraq have come to Hezbollah's aid; Israel: The fight continues. Ongoing unrest in the Middle East; confirmation of the death of the Hezbollah drone unit commander after Netanyahu's order to continue fighting. German Chancellor warns: The Israel-Hezbollah conflict could lead to a "regional fire." Netanyahu announced that Israel has not responded to the ceasefire proposal between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli army attacked infrastructure used for transferring weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Israeli Foreign Minister rejected the request for a "21-day ceasefire" with Hezbollah: We will continue the fight.