They fear persecution despite promises of protection by HTS

Tens of thousands of Syrians, mostly Shia Muslims, have fled to Lebanon since Sunni Muslim groups toppled Bashar al-Assad, fearing persecution despite assurances from the new rulers in Damascus that they will be safe, a Lebanese official said.

At the border with Lebanon, where thousands of people were trying to leave Syria on Thursday, a dozen Shia Muslims interviewed by Reuters described threats made against them, sometimes in person but mostly on social media.

Their accounts reflect fears of persecution despite promises of protection by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - the Sunni group which has emerged as the dominant force in the new Syria but is far from being the only armed faction on the ground.

Shia communities have often been on the frontline of Syria's 13-year civil war, which took on sectarian dimensions as Assad, from the minority Alawite faith, mobilised regional Shia allies, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, to help fight Sunni rebels.

The senior Lebanese security official said more than 100,000 people, largely members of minority faiths, had crossed into Lebanon since Sunday, but could not give an exact number because most of them had used illegal crossings along the porous border.

At the main border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, Samira Baba said she had been waiting for three days to enter Lebanon with her children.

"We don't know who sent these threats, on WhatsApp and Facebook," she said. "The rebels in charge haven't openly threatened us, so it could be other factions, or individuals. We just don't know. But we know it's time to leave," she said.