Thousands crossing back from Syria to Lebanon amid ceasefire

By AP 28 November 2024, 6:30 pm

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Lebanese families sit in traffic as they return to Lebanon through the Jousieh border crossing, Syria, Thursday, November 28, 2024, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Thousands of people make the crossing back into Lebanon from Syria on the second day of 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, on Lebanon’s northeastern border, bumper-to-bumper cars line up waiting to be cleared for crossing. All four lanes are taken up by cars making their way into Lebanon, while those waiting to cross into Syria had to use an offroad.

Of the six border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, two remain functional after Israeli airstrikes forced the others shut. The two countries share a border 375 kilometers (233 miles) long.

Over 600,000 people fleeing Lebanon poured into Syria in the past year.