Thousands cross Syria-Lebanon border amid Israeli airstrikes

DAMASCUS: Around 42,000 people have entered Syria to flee the Israeli offensive in Lebanon between Tuesday and midday Thursday, according to a Syrian official.

The arrivals, via the Jdeidat Yabous border crossing, include 31,000 Syrians and 11,000 Lebanese nationals.

Jassem Al-Mahmoud, a local deputy governor, said that the Lebanese arrivals have been accommodated in shelters prepared by the governorate, including three hotels in south of Damascus and centers in rural Damascus.

Shelters have been erected throughout the province, and all necessary services are being provided to those staying in the centers, as authorities work to manage the growing number of arrivals, the deputy governor added.

The surge in crossings followed days of Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, prompting a mass exodus of families seeking refuge in Syria.

Syria and Lebanon share some 375 km of border, with the Jdeidat Yabous crossing, also known as the Masnaa crossing in Lebanon, being one of five major routes between the two countries.

-Xinhua