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UN mulls setting up Syria-Lebanon border camp for displaced: report
A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delegation is reportedly considering setting up a camp along the Lebanon-Syria border to shelter displaced Syrians stranded there, local media reported on Tuesday.
The move comes as thousands of Syrians remain stuck on the Syrian side of the Masnaa border crossing, awaiting entry into Lebanon.
In recent hours, Masnaa has been overwhelmed by an influx of travellers, mostly Syrians, along with nationals from Iraq and Iran attempting to leave Syria, according to a General Security source speaking to °®Âþµº's Arabic-language edition, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on Tuesday.
The absence of Syrian security personnel on the other side of the border worsened the chaos, prompting Lebanese security forces to tighten control, which had slowed the processing of entries.
With Masnaa currently serving as the only official border crossing open between the two countries, stricter entry procedures have left thousands stranded.
On Sunday night into Monday, over 1,500 Syrians, primarily from Sayyida Zainab, Nubl, and Al-Zahraa, waited outside in the open, hoping to cross into Lebanon.
Entry permits are being granted on a case-by-case basis, typically for two to four weeks, for humanitarian reasons. According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, those with foreign passports, valid residencies, or another nationality were permitted entry.
Syrians leaving Lebanon
Meanwhile, Syrians attempting to leave Lebanon encountered fewer restrictions and received assistance during the exit process.
Thousands of Syrians have already left Lebanon following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Sunday, but many more are still trying to enter, particularly from the Damascus countryside area.
On Monday, Interior Minister Bassem Mawlawi visited the Masnaa border crossing, ordering security forces to crack down on illegal entry attempts, reinforce security personnel, and deploy reinforcements from the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Mobile Forces unit to secure the area and establish checkpoints.
Tensions have also risen among Lebanese residents near the border.
Citizens from Jdeidet Yabous, especially those from the Karak region in Zahle, reported receiving threats from armed groups demanding they evacuate their shops and homes, according to the news website Lebanon Files.