Syrians crossing the Nahr al-Kabir river in Akkar, to enter Lebanon, on April 1, 2025. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
Approximately 5,000 Syrians crossed the Lebanese border in the past 24 hours, fleeing new violence in Syria where 12 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed Monday by armed elements in the west and center of the country, the Disaster Management Center said Tuesday. This violence occurred three weeks after the massacres against this community.
According to the report seen by L'Orient Today, the Disaster Management Center recorded the arrival of 20,496 Syrian displaced persons since early March in 27 Alawite-majority localities in the Akkar region (Northern Lebanon), where they are staying with families or in hangars. The border village of Massaoudieh hosts the most refugees (8,092), followed by Hekr al-Dahri (2,118), and then al-Haissa (1,573).
Tensions on the west coast of Syria began on March 6 in an Alawite-majority village in the Latakia province, after the arrest of a person wanted by the law enforcement of the new regime. The situation quickly degenerated into clashes when armed men from the Alawite Muslim minority, whom authorities believe to be loyal to the ousted President Bashar al-Assad, opened fire on several positions of the security forces.
Entire families were decimated during massacres that occurred alongside these clashes, costing the lives of over 1,500 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Security forces, allied armed groups, or foreign jihadists have been held responsible for these atrocities, the worst since a coalition led by the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad from power last December.
In response to these massacres, the authorities set up an inquiry commission tasked with "gathering and examining all available evidence and information" on the events of March 6, 7 and 8. Thousands of residents have sought refuge at the Russian airbase in Hmeimim, while hundreds of families have fled to neighboring Northern Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities warned against the "sharp increase" in the number of refugees arriving in the villages of Akkar. This situation poses "many challenges, particularly in terms of housing, food supply, and essential health services," as the municipalities and hosting communities have limited resources, according to the Disaster Management Chamber.
Lebanon already hosts, according to official estimates, 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom 755,426 are registered with the U.N., having fled the civil war in their country since 2011.