Attachments
Overview of Developments
On 8 October, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded his visit to Syria following the launch of the SYRIA: Inter- Agency Emergency Appeal for the Influx from Lebanon to Syria.
• During his visit to Syria, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees visited the area between the Masnaa and Jdaidet Yabous border points (Lebanon/Syria) where airstrikes on the morning of 4 October rendered the main artery between Lebanon and Syria unusable for vehicles.
• The High Commissioner witnessed firsthand families travelling by foot across the crater that resulted from the airstrikes.
• The High Commissioner also visited the Health Border Support Point at the Jdaidet Yabous border point where life-saving assistance, including relief items, legal consultations and medical assistance, is being provided by UNHCR’s partner SARC.
• During the launch of the SYRIA: Inter-Agency Emergency Appeal for the Influx from Lebanon to Syria - which seeks $324 million for a period of six months to support 480,000 Lebanese and Syrians - the High Commissioner urged participating donor countries to provide timely and flexible funds to respond to the needs in Syria resulting from the influx.
• On 8 September, the High Commissioner visited a Syrian family hosting new arrivals from Lebanon who highlighted their main needs and challenges.
• He concluded his two-day visit with meetings with the Syrian Government to discuss the response to the influx from Lebanon
Overview of New Arrivals
• On 5 and 6 October, traffic remained slow through Jdaidet Yabous, with some 2,700 Syrians and Lebanese arriving at the crossing point from Lebanon. This included 1,140 extremely vulnerable people who were transported by 16 buses, provided by UNHCR and SARC, from the crater area (Masnaa) into Syria. Others resorted to crossing by foot or using taxis stationed to get from the crater to the Jdaidet Yabous crossing point.
• Onward transportation was also provided to 820 persons to help them get to their intended destinations in Damascus, Aleppo, and Ar-Raqqa.
• On 6 and 7 October, at the other border crossing points from Lebanon (Al Arida, Daboussieh, Joussieh, and Jesr Al Qmar), the rate of new arrivals remained comparatively low following a spike in arrival rate after the airstrikes close to Masnaa. In total, some 2,200 individuals crossed through those border points in Tartous and Homs.