Lebanon: Over Half a Million People Have Fled to Syria and Iraq Since September (UNHCR)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that more than half a million individuals have fled Lebanon for Syria and Iraq since September 23, driven by ongoing conflict. This number includes approximately 28,000 Lebanese citizens who sought refuge in Iraq, alongside around 473,000 who have crossed into Syria in recent weeks.
The majority of those entering Syria have escaped from southern Lebanon, where intense military operations are conducted daily. Among the arrivals in Syria are over 136,000 Lebanese refugees, along with nationals from other countries, as well as more than 330,000 Syrian refugees who had previously settled in Lebanon during their own nation’s armed conflict.
The UNHCR indicates that these Syrians are returning home due to the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. Furthermore, the ongoing hostilities have internally displaced hundreds of thousands within Lebanon, with the Lebanese government reporting that 1.2 million people are affected.
At the Syrian border, the flow of arrivals continues steadily at the Dabbousieh and Jesr Kamar border posts in Homs, with approximately 500 crossings per day. Additionally, the Jdaidet Yabous crossing in rural Damascus has registered just below an average of 600 arrivals daily, according to the UNHCR’s latest humanitarian situation report dated November 2.
On the morning of November 2, an airstrike targeted the Joussieh crossing, resulting in material damage to the area, including impacts to the UNHCR border post, though there were no reported casualties.
UNHCR teams stationed at the Syria-Lebanon borders continue to describe a dire situation. More than 71% of those arriving in Syria are Syrian nationals. “Many tell us they sold what little they had to fund their journey back,” highlighted the UNHCR office in Syria.
While the UNHCR continues to observe that Lebanese nationals constitute the primary group of refugees crossing from Syria into Iraq following the escalation of hostilities, it has also noted an increase in the number of Lebanese refugees arriving in Iraq. The agency reports an average of 400 to 600 Lebanese refugees arriving each day.
Since the onset of the conflict in September, at least 28,350 Lebanese refugees have arrived in Iraq through various entry points, including the Al-Qaim border post (15,355), and airports in Baghdad (10,753) and Najaf (2,242). “The majority of these refugees are being hosted in Najaf and Karbala,” the UN agency noted in an update dated November 3, 2024. Others are dispersed across several governorates in central and southern Iraq, including Babil, Basra, Diyala, and Nineveh.
