Since September 23, 2024, over 400,000 people have fled Lebanon to Syria as Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah entered open conflict, according to Lebanese authorities on October 7, 2024.
This figure includes 300,774 Syrians and 102,283 Lebanese. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that among those crossing the border are also Palestinians, Sudanese, and citizens of other countries.
Israel's attacks along the Lebanon-Syria border have placed displaced civilians in 'grave danger' and hindered humanitarian operations, warned Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday.
On October 4, Israeli troops conducted an incursion into eastern Lebanon near the Masnaa border crossing, blocking the road between the two countries. A Syrian Transport Ministry official, Sleiman Khalil, stated that 'road traffic remains impossible in this axis.'
While the number of people crossing the border has decreased, hundreds continue to pass through various border posts, said Filippo Grandi, UNHCR Commissioner, during his visit to the Syrian border post of Jdeidet Yabous.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of smuggling weapons through this route, and the Israeli military claims to have targeted a 'tunnel used for arms smuggling' near the Masnaa border post.
HRW cautioned that these attacks 'prevent civilians from fleeing and obstruct humanitarian operations,' emphasizing that 'this situation places civilians in grave danger.'
While an Israeli attack on a legitimate military target may be illegal if it likely causes disproportionate harm to civilians, HRW also noted that if Hezbollah uses the border to transfer arms, the pro-Iranian group 'does not take all possible precautions to protect civilians.'
According to Lebanese authorities, over 400,000 people, mostly Syrians but also many Lebanese, have crossed the border into Syria since the escalation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon on September 23.