NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) – Lebanese families displaced in Iraq by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah have begun returning to their homes in southern Lebanon following a recently brokered ceasefire.
The cessation of hostilities has allowed many to make the journey back, despite widespread destruction.
“After two months, we are returning to our homeland. We will return even if we find our homes destroyed; we will sit on the ground,” said Ali Abdulla, a southern Lebanon resident, waiting along with dozens of others at Najaf airport in Iraq to fly back to Beirut with his family.
More than 20,000 Lebanese have sought refuge in Iraq since the outbreak of the war, according to official figures seen by Reuters.
“Returning home was faster than we expected. A ceasefire has been achieved. We, the southerners, have not and will not abandon our land,” said Yousef Barakat, who was also waiting in Najaf to board a Middle East Airlines (MEA) flight to Beirut.
Najaf airport officials said around 800 Lebanese were leaving for Beirut every week, while others were using government-provided buses to travel to the Qaim border crossing with Syria and then on to Lebanon.
Iraqi local officials said at least 1,000 Lebanese had been crossing into Syria daily for three days. But then an escalation of hostilities in Syria following a rebel offensive against Syrian government forces led many to shun the land route, fearing for their safety. They now prefer to wait for flights.
Iraq’s government, along with Shi’ite institutions in Najaf and Kerbala, has provided essential support, including free accommodation, healthcare, and meals, ensuring that displaced families have a safe, supportive environment during their stay.
‘EVERYTHING IS DESTROYED’
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and France, aims to end the conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has killed at least 3,768 people in Lebanon since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
However, not all Lebanese are eager to return, saying their homes are currently uninhabitable due to damaged water and electricity networks. They are uncertain about what will happen once the 60-day ceasefire ends.
“I no longer have a home; everything is destroyed. If we return, where will we sleep, on the street? What is the future of our children if they stay in Lebanon? No education, no future, and no home,” said Rabea Ali, a mother of four sons from southern Lebanon, who is staying in a small rented flat in eastern Baghdad.
Rabea’s son, Omar al-Ali, supports his mother’s decision not to return to Lebanon. He has started a new life working at a car wash station in the mainly Shi’ite district of Zayoona in eastern Baghdad.
“We ran from bombing and devastation. I’m working to collect enough cash to bring my family, who are stuck in Lebanon, to live together here,” said Omar while washing cars.
But 11-year-old Ali Hassan said he was eager to return to his home in southern Lebanon as he missed school and also wanted to visit the grave of a friend killed by an Israeli airstrike.
“I hope to return to Lebanon to visit his grave and pray for him,” said Ali as he shaped a tree out of clay with a group of children gathered in the reception yard of one of Kerbala’s hotels.
(Reporting by Maher Nazeh, Ahmed Saeed and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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