Syrian Refugees Put Strain On Lebanon

Syrian refugees children stand in front of their tents at a refugee camp last month in Arsal, a Sunni Muslim town eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, that has become a safe haven for war-weary Syrian rebels and hundreds of refugee families. (Bilal Hussein/AP)

Aid agencies in several countries bordering Syria say the prolonged civil war there is putting huge strain on their efforts and on Syria’s relations with it neighbors.

Figures released Wednesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights put the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon at more than 100,000, with 30,000 more waiting to register.

Many of them are struggling to find basic supplies of food, water and medical care.

At the start of the year, BBC correspondent Wyre Davies went to see newly arrived Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon. Most are still there, and as he reports, tensions with local residents are mounting.

• BBC: Tensions as Syria’s refugee crisis grows