Syrian refugees blocked at Lebanon border

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 22 (UPI) -- Syrian tanks were keeping refugees from fleeing the fighting into Lebanon Friday, witnesses at the border said.

The (Beirut) Daily Star cited people in the border town of Wadi Khaled as sources.

Syrians began fleeing government repression of protests in frontier towns in large numbers in May. The army has tried to stop them, and some have died trying.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has registered 2,000 Syrians in Lebanon but has said the true number likely is far higher.

More than 1,400 Syrians are believed to have died in the four-month uprising. Opposition activists say more than 1.5 million marched against President Bashar Assad's regime Friday.