Syrian Regime Troops Fire on Fleeing Refugees

A Syrian woman and her child, fleeing the violence in Syria, cross by foot into the Lebanese border village of Wadi Khaled, northern Lebanon near the Lebanese-Syrian border, July 19, 2011 (Reuters Pictures via Daylife)

The Dailystar reports:

Syrian forces opened fire on refugees fleeing into Lebanon early Saturday morning, a security source told the Daily Star.

The source said that around 30 families entered Lebanon between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. through the unofficial border crossing at Lebanese border town of Kneisseh in the Wadi Khaled area in the north. The gunfire lasted about 20 minutes. 

Refugees began fleeing into Lebanon in large numbers two months ago following a crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in Syrian frontier towns. 

Since then, Syrian troops have tightened security along the Lebanese borders, preventing people from fleeing to Lebanon. However, many Syrians continue to cross into Lebanon through, often in the middle of the night. Some have been killed or wounded in the process. 

It is not known how many Syrian refugees have fled into Lebanon since the beginning of the uprising. There are 2,000 registered Syrian refugees in the country, according to the UNHCR, but it is believed the real numbers are significantly higher. 

Syria's four-month-long popular uprising, its largest since Hafez Assad took power 40 years ago, has claimed the lives of more than 1,400, say activists. Friday saw the largest show of demonstrators to date, with more than 1.5 million anti-government demonstrators taking to the streets across the country.