Health Ministry monitoring situation of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians who came from Syria

The Health Ministry said on Thursday it was working to meet the needs of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians who arrived in Lebanon from Syria following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday after a lightning offensive by the rebel coalition.

"Following the recent events in Syria, thousands of Lebanese residents of that country have returned to Lebanon, their country of origin, where they have been distributed in informal accommodation centers, due to the lack of available housing," said a statement from the ministry, which claims to "monitor their situation to meet their health and humanitarian needs."

"At the same time, the ministry is monitoring the situation of thousands of displaced Syrians in Lebanon," he added, "particularly in the border regions, where many are taking refuge in mosques, husseiniyehs and various informal shelters." The ministry also said it had "engaged in discussions with its partners, in particular the U.N. organizations responsible for displaced persons, first and foremost the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to ensure their humanitarian needs and monitor the health situation."

Since the fall of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, a major coming and going has begun on the Lebanese-Syrian border. Syrian refugees in Lebanon, mainly Sunnis and opponents of the fallen government, have returned to Syria, while Syrian nationals sympathetic to Assad have tried to find refuge in Lebanon.

On Wednesday, the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, asked the caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, and the caretaker Minister of the Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, to officially confirm that the Lebanese state controls the Lebanese-Syrian border, while rumors are reporting the entry into Lebanon, without controls, of Syrians close to Assad.