The Lebanese government says the tiny Mediterranean country will not accept any more Syrian refugees except for what authorities deem to be "exceptional" cases.
Today's statement by Information Minister Ramzi Jreij says Lebanon cannot handle any more refugees.
There are some 1.1 million Syrian refugees officially registered in Lebanon, making up almost a quarter of the country's population.
Jreij says the government will ask the UN refugee agency not to register any more cases in Lebanon and that Syrian refugees already here would be "encouraged to return to their country" or go elsewhere.
The Syrian civil war has had an enormous impact on Lebanon. The refugees have stretched the country's already fragile infrastructure and are competing with Lebanon's poorest for low-paid jobs.
