World Bulletin / News Desk

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described Lebanon and Jordan as the international community's first line of defense in terms of global security.

"They [the two countries] deserve the international community's solidarity," Guterres said at a press briefing in Beirut.

Guterres said there were no legal avenues available for Syrians, Palestinians and other people seeking refuge in Europe, who had to risk their lives.

Guterres added that countries needed to open their borders to Syrian refugees to allow more opportunities for resettlement.

"We believe it is high time for the international community to fully fund the Lebanese crisis response plan in its humanitarian dimension and in support of the local communities and Lebanese citizens who are paying a heavy price as a result of the refugee crisis," Guterres asserted.

He added: "The international community needs to understand that this is not a responsibility for Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey or Iraq, but a responsibility for the whole world."

"And that responsibility," he stressed, "needs to be translated into effective solidarity."

Syria's ongoing civil war has left some 220,000 people dead, hundreds of thousands injured, and millions of others displaced – both inside and outside the war-ravaged country.