Thousands of Syrian refugees flocked to the Bekaa Valley town of Arsal over the weekend to escape an expected regime-led offensive in a key town in the adjacent Qalamoun mountains, as locals feared for the humanitarian conditions of the new arrivals. The Social Affairs Ministry said Sunday that over 500 Syrian families had crossed to Arsal, east Lebanon, in the past few hours, bringing the total number of Syrian families residing in Arsal to 1,700.
“The process of registering 600 of them is over and they were provided with basic aid such as food, mattresses, sheets and other forms of aid,” the statement said.
Most refugees crossing to Arsal fled to avoid the looming regime offensive in the rebel-held town of Qarrah, located in the Qalamoun mountain area which lies roughly north of Damascus, adjacent to the Anti-LebanonRange.