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Photos and videos circulating across Lebanese media of long queues of cars at the Lebanese-Syrian border illustrate the exodus triggered by Israel’s ongoing massive air offensive on Lebanon. For the past few days, Lebanon has been grappling with relentless Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s strongholds amid mounting fears of an imminent Israeli ground invasion.
“Hundreds of vehicles are waiting in queues at the Syrian border. Many people are also arriving on foot. Large crowds, including women, young children and babies are waiting in line after spending the night outdoors in falling temperatures. Some carry fresh injuries from the recent bombardments,” read a United Nations statement issued on Tuesday.
Mostly Lebanese?
The governor of Baalbek-Hermel district in east Lebanon, Bashir Khodr, pointed out that most of those fleeing to Syria are Lebanese nationals who have been displaced from south Lebanon and other unsafe areas. “The Syrians who went back home were residing in Lebanon legally, which allows them to travel back and forth to Syria whenever they wish,” Khodr told This is Beirut.
As for Syrian migrants registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Khodr noted that, “none of them have tried to return to Syria, nor do they have any desire to go back, even though Syria is currently in a state of peace and stability with no active military conflicts.”
While Lebanon is currently an insecure place, Syrian migrants who claim that they fear for their lives in their country are not budging, although Syria is a safer place at the moment. “Things have become completely clear, especially in light of the current war. The last argument justifying the migrant (presence in Lebanon) is no longer valid,” Khodr added.
According to the Lebanese authorities, tens of thousands have been displaced over the past 48 hours, and more are abandoning their homes by the minute.
خاص | كاميرا #العربية ترصد حركة النزوح الكبيرة من جنوب #لبنان إلى الحدود السورية: أرتال من السيارات تجتاز معبر المصنع لحددودي#قناة_العربية pic.twitter.com/pe4MZ3pOHv
— العربية (@AlArabiya) September 24, 2024
40,000 Syrian returnees
For his part, Policy and Research Specialist at Information International Mohammad Chamseddine told This is Beirut that “Syrian nationals began going back to Syria since Saturday, and by yesterday (Tuesday), their number reached 40,000.”
According to Chamseddine, only hundreds of Lebanese crossed the border to Syria.
Largest exodus since 2006
Since Monday, roads linking the south to the north have been clogged with thousands of cars heading toward Beirut and other safer areas, marking the largest internal exodus since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military issued warnings to civilians living in or near areas where Hezbollah may be storing weapons, urging immediate evacuation as it escalated strikes on Hezbollah targets in the southern and eastern regions.
Over 558 people have been killed in the extensive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since Monday and 1,835 others have been injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Some 50 children are among the casualties, which also include members of the Civil Defense, paramedics and two United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) workers.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army said it had dropped some 2,000 weapons on about 1,500 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired more than 220 rockets toward Israel, the largest daily number since fighting began almost a year ago.
استمرار حركة النزوح من لبنان لليوم الثاني على التوالي باتجاه الحدود السورية، وسط اكتظاظ المعابر الحدودية بين البلدين pic.twitter.com/SJNaFyQSPb
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) September 25, 2024
