UN says more than 30,000 have fled Lebanon for Syria

Since the beginning of the heavy Israeli attacks in Lebanon, "significantly more" than 30,000 people have already fled to neighbouring Syria, according to UN reports.

About 80% are said to be Syrian citizens, the rest predominantly Lebanese, said Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Syria.

He spoke on Friday from the Lebanese-Syrian border over videolink with reporters in Geneva.

That number had more than doubled from Thursday's official estimate of 13,500 people who had sought safety in Syria out of desperation.

"Both Syrians and Lebanese are crossing from a country at war to one that has faced crisis and conflict for 13 years - we cannot imagine what an incredibly difficult choice that is - over 30 000 have made that choice," he said.

In Lebanon, 110,000 people had already been displaced prior to the recent escalation, according to UN reports. Since last week, 118,000 more have joined them, said Imran Riza, the humanitarian UN coordinator in the Lebanese capital Beirut.