Over 755,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon

The United Nations' refugee agency said Wednesday that the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon crossed the benchmark of 755,000 after an increase of about 14,000 refugees in a week. More than 650,000 refugees were registered in Lebanon while more than 105,000 are still waiting for their registration process to complete, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its weekly report. It added that the registered refugees are benefiting from aid provided by the Lebanese government, the UN agencies and some non- governmental organizations. The report said that strict security measures are being applied in the Bekaa area, anticipating these measures being enforced in other areas that host Syrian refugees. In June, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman called the international community's attention to the burden inflicted by the huge influx of Syrian refugees on Lebanon, stressing that his country is no longer capable of handling the issue by itself.