Harsh weather in Lebanon leaves 9 Syrian refugees dead

By Furkan Guldemir

BEIRUT (AA) - Harsh weather conditions and freezing temperatures on Friday led to the death of nine Syrian refugees near Lebanon's border with Syria, according to the Lebanese army.

"In an area near the northern Al-Masnaa border crossing, nine Syrian refugees were found dead while another six had to be hospitalized," read the statement.

Over the last two days, several parts of Lebanon -- including the Beqaa Valley, which is home to numerous Syrian refugees -- has been hit with extremely cold weather and heavy snowfall.

Last month, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) said the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon had fallen to about 998,000 from a previous 1.5 million.