Around 20,000 Lebanese and Syrian nationals have arrived in northeast Syria (Rojava) since the onset of Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Kurdish authorities in Rojava announced on Monday.

“The total number of people entering the region from Lebanon has reached 19,502,” stated the Crisis Management Cell of the returnees from Lebanon, a body formed by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). The returnees are either heading back to their homes or staying with relatives in the area. For those with no place to go, the Autonomous Administration has designated centers to accommodate them.

The exodus follows intense Israeli bombardments that have devastated parts of Lebanon, killing 2,255 people and injuring over 10,500, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The conflict has displaced nearly 1.2 million people, according to Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Among those fleeing the violence are thousands of Syrians who had been residing in Lebanon after escaping their own war-torn country. Many are now returning to their homes in Syria. Lebanon hosts approximately two million Syrian nationals, with around 800,000 registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In addition, some Lebanese refugees are reportedly using Syria as a transit route to enter Iraq through the al-Qaim border crossing.

The ongoing conflict continues to fuel mass displacement and regional instability, as Rojava struggles to accommodate the influx of refugees from Lebanon.