For more than a decade, Syria has been mired in internal conflict, ever since a civil war began in 2011. But earlier this month, the country saw the sudden toppling of its longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, and the conquest of major cities, including the capital, Damascus, by an insurgent force led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group.
The political unrest has led to high levels of poverty, hunger, and disease. Over the past decade, Syria has witnessed polio and cholera outbreaks that reached epidemic levels. And just last year, a devastating earthquake shook both Syria and Turkey.
All these factors led to the gradual increase of Syrian refugees, mostly to neighboring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.