Turkey fears new wave of refugees as Israel continues Lebanon offensive
565 Saturday, 19 October, 2024, 19:06 More than 400,000 people have fled to Syria to escape Israel's military operations in Lebanon, according to the United Nations. With the numbers expected to grow as Israel steps up its offensive, neighbouring Turkey, already home to the world's largest number of refugees, fears a new wave of people seeking sanctuary. Over 405,000 people – both Lebanese and Syrian – have crossed into Syria from Lebanon since the start of Israel's offensive, according to figures from UN refugee agency UNHCR. Approximately 60 percent are under 18, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday, and most are struggling to meet basic needs. The returnees are mainly people who had sought sanctuary in Lebanon from the civil war in Syria, now in its 13th year. "In Lebanon, there have been nearly one million Syrian refugees just since 2011," says Metin Corabatir of the Research Centre on Asylum and Migration, an Ankara-based NGO. He warns this could be just the beginning of the exodus if the fighting in Lebanon continues, threatening to overwhelm Syria. "We are not talking only about Syrian refugees going back to Syria, but the Lebanese population is moving, crossing the border to Syria. And Syria would either try to close the borders or force them to go north to the Turkish borders," Corabatir told RFI. "This really would lead to a catastrophic situation for people, for countries and may pull Turkey into more tensions with Israel." |
Cargo Plane Shot Down in Sudan, Russians Potentially Onboard, Russian Embassy Reports
337Yesterday, 21:36Lula Cancels BRICS Trip to Russia After Suffering Head Injury
55120.10.2024, 23:36In the simulated scenario of a Russian attack on NATO, the alliance needs 10 days to apply the fifth article, and German troops play a key role in protecting the Baltic states (photo)
49319.10.2024, 23:54Turkey fears new wave of refugees as Israel continues Lebanon offensive
56319.10.2024, 19:06Netanyahu says he is undeterred after drone targets his home
61219.10.2024, 18:36Outage hits Cuba after major power plant fails
56718.10.2024, 22:30Man arrested outside Trump Coachella rally denies assassination intent; he's 'all in' supporting Trump
83617.10.2024, 03:00Zelenskyy to unveil ‘victory plan’ after presenting it to Western allies
81816.10.2024, 18:42