UNITED NATIONS, June 1 (UPI) -- The United Nations Saturday called on Syria to give civilians in the embattled city of Qusayr a chance to get out of town safely.
The office of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement in New York saying the fighting in and around the western city had intensified in recent days with large numbers of residents caught in the middle.
"As preparations for an international conference on Syria intensify, he (Ban) reminds all parties to the conflict that the eyes of the world are upon them, and that they will be held accountable for any acts of atrocity carried out against the civilian population of Qusayr," the statement said.
The United Nations said refugees were already making their way out of the city in recent weeks. About 3,500 people have straggled into the small town of Hasiya, which normally has a population of 16,000.
More than a dozen rockets and mortar rounds fired from inside Syria hit a Shiite town in eastern Lebanon town known as a Hezbollah stronghold Friday night. The New York Times said the attack came a week after Hezbollah declared its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Syrian rebels condemned the announcement and vowed to retaliate against Hezbollah.
Lebanon has become increasingly polarized over the Syrian civil war, which has raised fears the security situation in the entire country could degenerate further.
"No matter how hard you try to keep them under the lid, Syria's problems and wars are bound to reach us," Aida Daouk, 82, a Beirut resident, told the Times. "It is scaring us. More people from here are going there to fight, and eventually more people from there will come here to fight."
