Thousands of people have been crossing back into Lebanon from Syria following a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel after nearly 14 months of fighting. At the Jousieh border crossing in the Qusair area of Syria’s Homs province, bumper-to-bumper cars lined up on Thursday waiting to be cleared for crossing. All four lanes were taken up by cars heading into Lebanon, while those waiting to cross into Syria had to use an offroad.
Out of the six border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, only two remain functional due to Israeli airstrikes that forced the closure of the others. The two countries share a border that spans 375 kilometers (233 miles).
Over the past year, more than 600,000 people fled Lebanon into Syria, with most of them seeking refuge after the escalation of the war between Israel and Hezbollah in mid-September. This influx of cross-border movement marked a significant shift, especially considering that Lebanon is currently hosting over 1 million Syrian refugees who fled the conflict in their country that began in 2011.
As the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect early Wednesday, thousands of individuals began their journey back to Lebanon. Families were seen packed into vehicles with their belongings, including suitcases, mattresses, and blankets. Children clutched backpacks, some wrapped in blankets, as they made their way back to Lebanon on Thursday. The atmosphere was a mix of relief and sorrow as many returnees faced the harsh reality of potentially returning to homes that may have been destroyed.
One returning individual, a 54-year-old dairy shop owner, expressed his happiness at the ceasefire, stating that the fear of airstrikes had dissipated. On the first day of the ceasefire, over 2,000 people crossed into Lebanon, with the numbers increasing on subsequent days. On Thursday, more than 4,000 individuals returned to Lebanon, with the flow of returnees continuing to rise.
At the border, families were seen waiting to have their passports or IDs stamped, with some smoking and others sitting on their luggage. Among the returnees was a woman who had sought refuge in Syria for over a month, expressing a mix of emotions upon returning to her destroyed home. Another individual mentioned the excitement of going back but also expressed concerns about the journey ahead.
Overall, the return of thousands of individuals from Syria to Lebanon following the ceasefire marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict in the region, with many facing the challenges of rebuilding their lives and homes in the aftermath of the fighting.
