Mafraq [ACTED News] – Due to the highly dynamic context in Za’atari refugee camp, in Northern Jordan, which is hosting more than 120,000 refugees, with daily arrival rates ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 people, information on the number of refugees, their social organisation and physical location remains extremely fragmented, hindering the targeted and efficient humanitarian response.

05/20/2013 04:54 GMT

JERUSALEM, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - Shots fired from Syria hit the central Israeli-occupied Golan Heights overnight, a military spokeswoman said Monday morning, causing no harm or damage.

According to the spokeswoman, the shots were from small arms, and "most likely were stray bullets, we don't know if it was intentional."

The spokeswoman would not confirm local media reports that the shots hit near an Israeli military patrol. The army had not fired back, she said, and Israel had submitted a complaint to the United Nations force in the region.

Security incidents and shellings are hampering UNRWA’s ability to respond to the needs of Palestinian refugees inside Syria.

05/20/2013 02:33 GMT

DAMASCUS, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - Syrian troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah have entered Qusayr, a strategic rebel stronghold linking Damascus to the coast, a day after President Bashar al-Assad insisted he would not step aside.

The advance came Sunday as Assad's opponents warned his regime's "barbaric and destructive" assault on the town could torpedo US-Russian attempts to organise a conference on ending more than two years of bloodshed.

HIGHLIGHTS

Total number of Syrian refugees registered and awaiting registrations with UNHCR in Egypt stands at 66,420 individuals as of 13th of May 2013.

On Wednesday the 8th of May 2013, a fund raising event for the aid of Syrian refugees, took place at the Cairo Opera House. The event was organized by the British Embassy and UNHCR and was under the patronage of the Secretary General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi.

05/18/2013 20:37 GMT

DAMASCUS, May 18, 2013 (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad insisted he will not resign before the end of his mandate in 2014 as a car bomb exploded in the capital Damascus on Saturday killing at least three people.

"To resign would be to flee," Assad said in an interview with the Argentine newspaper Clarin when asked if he would consider stepping aside as called for by US Secretary of State John Kerry.