Turkish group provides aid to Syrians in Lebanon

By Mahmut Geldi</p> <p>BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – A Turkish aid group distributed winter aid packages to Syrians at refugee camps in Lebanon’s western Bekaa Valley, an official of the group said Wednesday.</p> <p>Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mustafa Ozbek, media coordinator of Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), said the region face tough situations due to harsh winter.</p> <p>“We [IHH] distributed firewood, food packs, mattresses and blankets to 1,500 families […] We want to make these refugees have a smooth winter,” Ozbek said.</p> <p>The Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been helping war victims since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.</p> <p>Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity. </p> <p>Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed or displaced in the conflict, mainly by regime airstrikes targeting opposition-held areas.