Thousands flee Syria violence into Lebanon

Up to 2,000 refugees fleeing violence in Syria are making the risky border crossing into northern Lebanon, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency said. Qusar, just 12 kilometres from the Lebanese border, remains in the hands of the Syrian Free Army and has become a refuge for both civilians and rebel fighters. But it is now coming under sustained shelling and the only way to flee is to Lebanon. The UNHCR spokesman in Lebanon, Jean Paul Cavalieri, says between 1,000 and 2,000 people are in the process of moving from Syria to Lebanon. "Numbers will become clear in the coming hours. This is what we are hearing from our teams on the ground and local authorities," he said. It comes as the International Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent were prevented for a third day from entering the embattled Baba Amr district in the city of Homs. Up to 20,000 people are still believed to be trapped in the shattered district, but teams instead distributed live-saving aid in Abel village, three kilometres from Baba Amr. "There are a lot of people who left the neighbourhood and they want other areas now as I speak to you, my colleagues are distributing assistance in a village three kilometres from Babr Amr and we hope to do it as soon as possible," said Saleh Dabbakeh, a Red Cross spokesman in Damascus. "Many refugees from Baba Amr are in Abel," he said, adding they were being supplied with food products and blankets. The Red Cross says a similar operation will take place in Inshaat, another district of Homs, while crews await authorisation from Syrian authorities to enter Baba Amr. A seven-truck convoy organised by the aid groups has been waiting since Friday to enter Baba Amr, with the authorities saying they were being barred for their own safety because of the presence of bombs and landmines. Amid widespread international outrage, Britain and Turkey have accused the Damascus regime of committing a crime by barring the relief convoys from entering Baba Amr. Violence continue Rebel fighters fled the neighbourhood on Thursday in the face of a withering ground assault by regime forces following a month-long shelling blitz which the US-based Human Rights Watch said had killed some 700 people. "It is unacceptable that people who have been in need of emergency assistance for weeks have still not received any help," ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger said of the delay in granting access to relief teams. Meanwhile, there are reports that the town of Rastan, which like Homs lies on the strategic main road linking Damascus with northern Syria, is under heavy bombardment. Human rights groups said at least seven civilians died on Saturday, including four children. There were similar scenes in Daraa in the south near the border with Jordan, where 14 members of the security forces were reportedly killed.