UN: Over 212,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

The UN Higher Refugees Council ( UNHRC) announced Saturday that the number of Syrians and Palestinians who came to Lebanon after fleeing the neighboring war- torn country has exceeded 212,000. Pointing out that "this number is the highest since the eruption of Syria's conflict," the latest UNHRC report said "these 212,000 refugees are currently receiving aid from the Lebanese government, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations. " There are 73,970 refugees in northern Lebanon, 56,284 in Bekaa and 17,404 are spread between the capital Beirut and the south, said the report. Of the total, 147,000 are registered, while the names of some 64,000 others will be listed soon. Lebanon appealed on Sunday for 180 million U.S. dollars from Arab countries to help it deal with the Syrian refugee influx that may possibly bring the number of the displaced to 420,000 in June. The Arab League has decided to send a team to Syria's neighboring countries to assess the status of refugees ahead of a donors' conference in Kuwait slated for Jan. 30.