BEIRUT, September 27. /TASS/. More than 30,000 people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon to seek shelter in that country amid ongoing strikes by the Israeli Air Force, Reuters reported citing Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Syria.

The official said that about 80% of those refugees are Syrians, adding that about half are children and adolescents. The UNHCR is expecting an influx of those fleeing Lebanon into Syria over the next few days.

A new spiral of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has unfolded since numerous explosions of communications devices swept across Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The Lebanese group blamed Israel for the incidents. Israel did not comment directly on the device detonations, but announced it was intensifying military operations in the north. On September 23, Israel started a military operation codenamed Northern Arrows against Hezbollah in Lebanon, carrying out widespread strikes at the group’s military sites. The stated goal is to create a secure environment in areas near the Israeli northern border, so that tens of thousands of people could return to their homes, after they had to evacuate due to nonstop shelling by Hezbollah since October 8, 2023.