05/26/2013 19:35 GMT

by Karim Abu Merhi

BEIRUT, May 26, 2013 (AFP) - Two rockets hit Hezbollah's heartland in Beirut on Sunday as the Lebanese Shiite group battled alongside Syrian regime forces and Damascus said it agreed "in principle" to attend a Geneva peace conference.

The early morning attack came as Syria's fractured opposition held an unscheduled fourth day of meetings in Istanbul on the peace conference proposal and after Hezbollah pledged to fight for "victory" in Syria.

05/26/2013 03:37 GMT

DAMASCUS, May 26, 2013 (AFP) - A meeting of Syria's fractured opposition headed into an unscheduled fourth day Sunday, while on the ground rebels kept up their resistance to a Hezbollah-backed government assault on a strategic central town.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday pledged "victory" in Syria over the rebels and stressed it was in his militant anti-Israeli group's own interest to defend the Assad regime.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced $4.6 million to help Palestinian refugees, including those affected by the conflict in Syria.

Senator Carr announced Australian support during a meeting with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi in Lebanon today (overnight May 24-25 AEST).

"Australia recognises UNRWA's extraordinary efforts in delivering vital health and relief services to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugee families in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan," Senator Carr said.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

 Over 73,200 refugees received World Food Programme (WFP) food vouchers;

 Over 65,000 refugess received clothes vouchers, blankets, quilts, kitchen sets, matresses, recreation kits for children and other household items;

 more than 56,000 refugees benefited from 10,559 hygiene kits as well as over 3,665 baby kits;

 Over 4,000 refugees received primary health care services

 740 patients were admitted to hospitals nationwide;

 4,750 Syrians were reported to have arrived in Lebanon this week;

UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi visited Syria on 21-23 May to see first-hand the impact of conflict and displacement on Palestine refugees and to provide his personal support and encouragement for UNRWA’s operations. Mr. Grandi met with Syrian Government officials and reinforced his message to Palestinians to preserve their neutrality and to keep out of the conflict.

Highlights

• On 23 May 2013, AFAD - the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency of Government of Turkey announced that the total number of Syrians registered and accommodated in 17 camps in 8 provinces was 194,758 including 413 Syrians receiving medical treatment in hospitals. This is a very slight decrease compared to the day before due to more returns than the new arrivals.

• AFAD reported that during the last 24 hrs of 22-23 May, 417 new arrival Syrians were registered and accommodated in the camps and 627 Syrians voluntarily returned to Syria.

AMMAN/DUBAI, 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Thousands of people are gathering in villages in southern Syria, unable to seek refuge in Jordan because of insecurity along the border or, according to some, new Jordanian security measures.

In Nasib village, just 2km from one of four border crossings between Jordan and Syria, there are 10,000 displaced people waiting to leave Syria, according to village imam Abu Omar. He said government security forces abandoned the village "long ago".

Syria - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #16, Fiscal Year (FY) 2013

05/24/2013 14:38 GMT

GENEVA, May 24, 2013 (AFP) - The United States, Turkey and Qatar called Friday for an urgent debate on Syria at the UN's top human rights body next week, citing the escalating conflict and the regime's assault on the central town of Qusayr.

"We have the honour to request the Human Rights Council to hold an urgent debate on the deteriorating situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, and the recent killings in Al Qusayr," the ambassadors of the three countries wrote in their request to council president Remigiusz Henczel.