GENEVA, September 30. /TASS/. At least 100,000 people have fled Lebanon to seek refuge in Syria due to the ongoing strikes by the Israel Defense Forces, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.
"The number of people who have crossed into Syria from Lebanon fleeing Israeli airstrikes - Lebanese and Syrian nationals - has reached 100,000. The outflow continues," the statement on his X page reads.
Grandi added that staff from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are present at four checkpoints on the Lebanese-Syrian border along with local authorities and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to assist the refugees.
Tensions escalated between Israel and Lebanon’s Shia group Hezbollah after a series of explosions of communication devices in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The movement held Jerusalem responsible for the sabotage. In turn, Jerusalem did not comment directly on what happened, but announced the intensification of military action in the northern direction. On September 23, Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows against Hezbollah units in Lebanon, during which it is carrying out massive airstrikes against the movement’s military facilities. The stated goal is to create secure conditions in Israel’s northern border areas so that tens of thousands of residents can return there. As a result of one of the strikes, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated in Beirut on September 27. The organization confirmed his death and vowed to continue its confrontation with Israel.