Fear lingers after Syrian violence as hundreds seek refuge
After the outbreaks of violence in Syria at the weekend, activists said on Tuesday that members of the Alawite religious minority in particular are still afraid of new attacks.
"Everybody is terrified. Some people returned to their homes with the assurances of the security forces on the ground but others are still confined to mountains areas," a resident of Banias told dpa on condition of anonymity.
He added that people in the coastal areas which witnessed violence, especially Banias, Jable and Latakia, are mainly confined to their homes - especially men.
"Woman are buying the food and necessities for the homes, men are staying indoors with the children," he said.
Around 1,000 people have also sought refuge in the Russian air base of Hmeimim on Syria's Mediterranean coast, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told dpa.
The New York Times also reported the same, citing satellite images.
Hundreds of people were on the grounds of the Russian base in Hmeimim and the adjacent Latakia airport.
Russia was one of the closest allies of Syria's deposed long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.
The clashes began on Thursday. According to the new rulers in Damascus, armed supporters of the deposed al-Assad government attacked security forces in the coastal province of Latakia.
The transitional government responded with a large-scale military operation.
Refugees flee to Lebanon
Meanwhile in northern Lebanon's Akkar region, mainly Alawite Syrians arrived after crossing a river that splits Syria and Lebanon.
Children, the elderly and women crossed with their belongings, according to an eyewitness in the area.
He added that they were met on the other side by Lebanese people from the Alawite religion, who drove them to nearby villages.
"We lived in hell. The killing was frantic," an 80-year-old Syrian named Hussein Ismail from the coastal city of Tartour said weeping as he was carried on a chair by youths.
Fellow refugee Hussam Al Ali, 46, told dpa they did not dare to venture from our home for five days.
"We fled our village which is located on the edge of the river and then we crossed into Lebanon," he said.
Lisa Abou Khaled, UNHCR spokeswoman in Lebanon, said that according to Lebanese authorities, 6,078 individuals have arrived in around a dozen villages in northern Lebanon alone.
She added that "at the request of the government, the humanitarian community (including UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and the Lebanese Red Cross) is providing immediate basic assistance to this group in the form of ready-to-eat food, hygiene kits and basic items, including blankets from UNHCR."
According to the observatory, a total of around 1,500 people were killed in the recent violence, most of them civilians.
Activists say the religious minority of the Alawites, to which Al-Assad also belongs, was particularly targeted.
The transitional government saw the outbreak of violence as an attempt by Al-Assad loyalists to plunge the country into a new civil war after over a decade of conflict before his December ouster.
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