BEIRUT: Up to 2,000 Syrians fleeing violence in their country crossed into northern Lebanon Sunday, a security source told The Daily Star.

The displaced Syrians had been spotted moving from Qusayr in the Northern Bekaa Valley, some 12 kilometers within Syria, toward the border with Lebanon, a security source told The Daily Star.

They later crossed into Lebanon, where they are staying with friends and relatives in villages near the Syrian border.

There are now over 7,000 Syrian refugees registered with the U.N. High Commission for Refugees and the Higher Relief Council in northern Lebanon, according to the latest weekly report from the U.N. body. There are also several thousand unregistered refugees.