MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The side effects of the Syrian civil war, in particular, hosting refugees, has already cost neighboring Lebanon over $13 billion, an international watchdog said in Tuesday.
"Lost revenue due to the war in Syria and the burden of hosting refugees have cost Lebanon an estimated $13.1 billion, and the refugee influx has strained public services and infrastructure, including health, energy, water, waste collection, and education," Human Right Watch (HRW) said in a report published on its website.
According to the watchdog, the amount of international aid to Lebanon in connection with this burden has been "insufficient," and only covered just over 60 percent of the $1.87-billion UN-agreed Lebanon Crisis Response Plan.
The ongoing war in Syria, which started in 2011, has displaced more than 11 million people, including 4.8 million, who are in neighboring states such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
