A fresh military offensive in southern Syria has closed major refugee routes into Jordan, relief officials said Saturday, raising concern over the fate of thousands of displaced Syrians reportedly stranded in the border region, DPA reported.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), ongoing military operations have slowed a refugee flow which once numbered as high as 5,000 per day to 59 by late Friday, the lowest number of new arrivals in over six months.
"We have seen a large drop-off in numbers over the past two weeks despite ongoing violence," said Andrew Harper, UNHCR Repreentative in Jordan.
"This is a sign that Syrians fleeing violence are having difficulty entering Jordan," he said.
According to opposition activists, a two-week-old military siege of key rebel outposts has led to the closure of main smuggling routes into Jordan, stranding up to 10,000 Syrians seeking to flee.
The activists say Damascus' "liberation" of the rebel stronghold of Tal Shihab - long a key transit point for Syrians looking to flee to Jordan - earlier this month has also led to almost a "total halt" in smuggling activities.
"All the main routes are gone, all the safe-houses are gone," said Abu Mohammed, a Jordan-based member of the so-called Local Coordination Committees, told dpa.
"Right now there are thousands of women and children just waiting and praying for a breakthrough."
Activists and refugees say that in light of the campaign, rebels have abandoned traditional smuggling routes in favour of new, more arduous pathways through the eastern desert - a journey that can often only be completed by young men.
The UN confirmed on Saturday that the vast majority of refugees currently entering Jordan are single males.
Intensified fighting between regime and rebel forces in the month of August led to the exodus of a record 100,000 Syrians to neighbouring countries, according to the UN, prompting the UNHCR to launch an additional 160-million-dollar aid appeal.
Jordan currently hosts 200,000 Syrian refugees, more than any of Syria's other neighbours.