Fresh violence in the southern Syrian province of Daraa has sparked a mass exodus of refugees into Jordan.

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, fresh fighting in the border region led to the arrival of nearly 1,000 Syrian refugees across the border on July 2.

Relief officials call the exodus a "humanitarian crisis."

UNHCR representative to Jordan Andrew Harper called on Amman to open a refugee camp for the thousands of Syrians fleeing the fighting.

The UNHCR says 140,000 Syrians are already in the country.