BEIRUT, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Upon learning of the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, Abdul Razzak Abdul Hay and his wife Laila rushed to the Lebanon-Syria border, the Masnaa border crossing, without even a second thought.
"Everything happened suddenly. We lost our security, and we had no choice but to flee," said the husband.
"We left everything behind us: the house, the neighbors, and even the memories," said Laila, carrying a small bag containing valuable and light items.
"We had no time to think about anything but fleeing to Lebanon, the country we hope will receive us and provide us with the necessary needs for displacement," she said.
The couple is among the thousands of Syrians who made the decision to flee Syria due to security concerns amid chaos following the dramatic power shift in the already war-torn country, in contrary to the other thousands of Syrian refugees who chose to return home from neighboring countries like Lebanon and Türkiye.
Syrian militant groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, waged a major offensive from northern Syria starting on Nov. 27 and captured the capital, Damascus, within 12 days, leading to the collapse of al-Assad's government on Dec. 8.
Since then, 1,000 to 1,200 people entered into Lebanon from Syria legally every day, a source at the Masnaa border crossing told Xinhua. Those people either hold residency permits for Lebanon or possess travel tickets for flights departing from Beirut Airport.
Yet an additional 90,000 Syrians have entered through illegal routes, estimated the Lebanese General Security.
Lebanon is currently hosting about 2 million Syrian refugees who fled the country after it was enguled by a civil war in 2011.
The Masnaa crossing is still packed with hundreds of people waiting to cross the border. With heavy steps and anxious faces, mothers clutch their children in tight embraces, while the children, clearly exhausted, lag behind, their feet dragging on the ground. The young ones, in the meantime, are burdened with as many luggage and plastic bags as they can manage.
"I fear for the thousands of families who were surprised by the rapid collapse of the regime and left in a hurry," 20-year-old Jumana Abu Asali told Xinhua.
"I also feel sorry for my country which has been suffering from wars for more than 13 years; we had dreamed of a decent and safe life, and now we have become displaced and do not know what awaits us in the future," said Asali, accompanying her family, adding, "We will try to start over; we have no other choice."
And for those who have already gotten into Lebanon, while a small number migrated to the capital Beirut, the majority settled in the Baalbek-Hermel region in eastern Lebanon, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
About 52,600 displaced people reside in homes, whereas some 33,000 live in the 133 makeshift shelters established inside local Husseiniyas, mosques, halls, and cafes, the NNA reported.
There could be some 25,000 displaced Syrian families in eastern Lebanese towns, Afif Shoman, head of private charity group the Ta'awun Association, told Xinhua.
"We are working on distributing food rations to the displaced in Husseiniyas, clubs, and charitable associations. We seek to equip and secure three field kitchens shortly to provide hot lunches. We have also worked on distributing heaters and securing diesel to face the winter cold," Shoman said.
"The ministry is following up on the conditions of thousands of Syrians who have been displaced to Lebanon, and discussing with its partners, especially the UN organizations, ways to secure their humanitarian needs for the displaced and monitor their health," the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said in a recent statement. ■