Israel has been launching extensive strikes targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and Syria, including a significant explosion illuminating the Beirut skyline. The Israeli Defense Forces have been conducting precise military operations against Hezbollah-held areas near the southern Lebanon border,

An Israeli strike on Friday morning near Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days, Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters.

Lebanese man Hassan Slim had avoided Syria for years as war raged in the neighbouring country, but has now found himself fleeing there as Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon's south.Slim, 24, was waiting on Wednesday with his elderly mother for their papers to be processed on the Syrian side of a border crossing,

Filippo Grandi (C) visits the Jdeidet Yabous crossing between Syria and Lebanon, on Oct. 7, 2024. Grandi visited the Jdeidet Yabous crossing on the border between Syria and Lebanon on Monday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.

The UN has expressed concern over the influx of refugees into Syria following the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon. A World Food Programme official told DW that the organization was not prepared for the current number of people fleeing Israeli airstrikes across the border.

The local authorities, the Syrian Red Crescent, the UN and partners are working continuously to provide a humane and efficient response to the influx.