“Lost and facing the unknown”: Syrians returning to the “homeland” from the hell of the Israeli war on Lebanon

As Israel’s intensified aggression on Lebanon enters its second month, and the scale of its airstrikes continues to expand, covering wide areas in the South and the Beqaa and even reaching the capital, Beirut, the wide-scale bombardments have forcibly displaced over 1.4 million people as they fled from danger. More than 400,000 of the displaced sought refuge in Syria, two-thirds of whom are Syrian nationals, despite Syria being the very country they escaped years ago in search of safety. By October 31, Israeli strikes had already killed at least 2,865 people and injured 13,047 more, including dozens of Syrians.

The option of returning from Lebanon to Syria—a country these Syrians fled years ago to escape bombing, death, detention, and other security threats—has not been an easy choice for most of them. However, as many told Raseef22, “the doors have closed in our faces,” leaving them no option but to throw themselves into the unknown once more, with many expressing that they feel “lost and don’t know what awaits us.”

"We have no other choice"

In a small house in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, Raseef22 spoke with Batoul, a 45-year-old woman who preferred to use a pseudonym for safety reasons. Batoul left Syria in 2014 with her two children after her husband was killed by a bomb that struck their home in the eastern Ghouta of Damascus. She and her children settled in a village in the Beqaa Valley, relying on small aid provisions and occasional odd jobs to make ends meet. They rented a house near other Syrian relatives who had also been displaced to Lebanon.

“I had so many fears. What awaits me in Syria? How will we survive and meet our basic needs? Will my children adjust to life there? And, above all, will we face any security threats or issues, especially when crossing the border?”... Stories of Syrians returning to their “homeland” from the hell of Israel’s violent war on Lebanon

Reflecting on their decade-long stay in Lebanon, she explained, "The past ten years were incredibly difficult. We were never truly happy and faced many challenges and discrimination, but we had nowhere else to go. Our home in Syria was completely destroyed, and I had no provider or breadwinner, whether here or there. I thought life in Lebanon would at least be safer, especially since both my children developed severe psychological trauma from the sounds of bombings and aircraft we lived under for two years in Syria."

When Israeli hostilities escalated in Lebanon, Batoul initially dismissed the idea of leaving, telling herself, “It’s just a matter of a few days.” However, as the airstrikes crept closer to her place of residence, she was forced to make the quick decision to leave. “I couldn’t bear the thought of reliving what we went through in Syria. I saw my children—my daughter, now 15, and my son, 17—shaking with terror at the sounds of Israeli warplanes and explosions.”

Another factor that drove Batoul to make her decision was the immense challenges Syrians now face in Lebanon. Many shelters in Lebanon refuse to accept Syrians, and some landlords now prefer to evict Syrian tenants in favor of Lebanese families, who are seen as better able to afford higher rents.

When Israeli hostilities escalated in Lebanon, Batoul initially dismissed the idea of leaving, telling herself, “It’s just a matter of a few days.” However, as the airstrikes crept closer to her place of residence, she was forced to make the quick decision to leave. “I couldn’t bear the thought of reliving what we went through in Syria. I saw my children—my daughter, now 15, and my son, 17—shaking with terror at the sounds of Israeli warplanes and explosions.”

Batoul packed her family’s few belongings, handed back the rental house in the Beqaa Valley to its owners, and decided to head toward her relatives’ home in eastern Ghouta, Damascus, after family members encouraged her to return.

“I had so many fears at that time. What awaits me in Syria? How will we survive and meet our basic needs? Will my children adjust to life there? And, above all, will we face any security threats or issues, especially when crossing the border?” Batoul shares that a key factor in her decision to return was that her son is an only child and, therefore, exempt from military service. "Had it not been for that, I would never have considered returning to Syria. I know many Syrian families in the area where I was living who avoided returning due to concerns over mandatory and reserve military service, or where women and children returned without the men, waiting to see how things would unfold," she continues.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights has documented several cases of Syrians returning from Lebanon being detained at various government checkpoints in recent weeks. As for those who are of mandatory or reserve military service age, Raseef22 obtained testimonies stating that they are officially notified of their "assignment to service" upon crossing official border points, and are given no more than two weeks to report to their military units.

"Everyone talks about the hardships of life in Syria and the high unemployment rates, how young people can hardly find decent job opportunities. Some even mockingly tell us, 'You’re coming back while everyone else is leaving.' In any case, no matter the difficulties, I don’t think about returning to Lebanon; what we experienced there was extremely tough. 'Enough humiliation’.”

Fear accompanied Batoul and her children until they reached their destination in rural Damascus, whether it was fear of the sounds of shelling and planes during the first leg of their journey, or the anxiety of crossing the border and facing security checks. “Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and we arrived safely,” she says.

Batoul paid $250 for the car that transported her, her children, and their essential belongings. They arrived about three weeks ago through the Arida Border Crossing in Homs Governorate. Lebanon and Syria are linked by six official border crossings, the largest and most important of which is the Jdeidet Yabous/al-Masnaa crossing, which was bombed on the Lebanese side by Israeli forces late last month. The attack rendered the route perilous, with parts of the asphalt road between the two countries completely destroyed and riddled with craters, leading many displaced people to choose other crossings via Homs and Tartus governorates. These routes take longer and require higher costs, especially for those heading to Damascus and southern Syria.

For those who are of mandatory or reserve military service age, Raseef22 obtained testimonies stating that they are officially notified of their "assignment to service" upon crossing official border points and are given no more than two weeks to report to their military units.

Hanan's journey, having been displaced from rural Hama with her husband and children to Lebanon nearly nine years ago, was not easy. The 50-year-old woman tells Raseef22, "A few days after the bombing began in the southern suburbs of Beirut, we decided to leave and save ourselves, taking only a few basic necessities in a small bag. My husband and son chose to stay in Lebanon out of fear of the arrests and detention cases that we hear of in Syria, while I returned with my daughter to my family's home in Damascus. It was an extremely difficult journey as we fled the sounds of bombing and warplanes, leaving part of our family behind and heading toward the unknown."

Where do the "returnees" go?

Since the beginning of the displacement from Lebanon to Syria, several shelter centers have opened in various provinces under government control to accommodate newcomers. Generally, most who chose to stay in these centers are Lebanese, many of whom moved to the homes of relatives and acquaintances or dwellings provided by the local community. Some even continued their journey to Iraq, with the Iraqi Interior Ministry indicating the reception of over 5,000 people from Lebanon through airports and the Al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq.

My husband and son chose to stay in Lebanon out of fear of the arrests and detention cases that we hear of in Syria, while I returned with my daughter to my family's home in Damascus. It was an extremely difficult journey as we fled the sounds of bombing and warplanes, leaving part of our family behind and heading toward the unknown."

For Syrians, most headed to their homes if they were still habitable and accessible without security risks, or to the homes of relatives and acquaintances in various provinces. Among the approximately 300,000 Syrians who arrived from Lebanon, about 20,000 went to areas controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and about 2,000 chose to cross into opposition-held areas in the north, despite the significant risks involved due to the crossing routes or recent military escalation by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies that left dozens of casualties and injuries.

Numerous media reports in recent weeks have highlighted the long and costly journey endured by Syrians wishing to cross from Lebanon to opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria, facing extortion from smugglers and travel agencies organizing these journeys, along with the security checkpoints of various forces along the route. Reports indicate that the cost of this journey per person ranged from about $350 to as much as $600.

Numerous media reports in recent weeks have highlighted the long and costly journey endured by Syrians wishing to cross from Lebanon to opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria, facing extortion from smugglers and security checkpoints of various forces along the route. Reports indicate that the cost of this journey per person ranged from about $350 to as much as $600.

An uncertain future

Since arriving in Syria, Batoul still feels very lost. "I was certainly aware of the situation in the country through my communication with my family and friends on a near-daily basis, but 'seeing is not the same as hearing.' I still cannot comprehend the extent of the inflation that has occurred over the past ten years and find it challenging to know how to buy any of my belongings and necessities from the market," she adds with a smile. During the first ten years of the war in Syria, the inflation rate exceeded 3,850%, and prices surged 40-fold, with the situation continuing to deteriorate year after year.

The woman also worries about what the future holds for her sons. "My daughter is thinking about continuing her education, although she hasn’t been able to keep up with her studies in Lebanon due to the difficulties Syrians face in accessing stable educational services. As for my son, he will seek to find work, even though he doesn't have a specific skill or profession. However, he has been our only provider since we settled here, and we are extremely worried about that. Everyone talks about the hardships of life in Syria and the high unemployment rates, how young people can hardly find decent job opportunities. Some even mockingly tell us, 'You’re coming back while everyone else is leaving.' In any case, no matter the difficulties, I don’t think about going back to Lebanon; what we experienced there was extremely tough. 'Enough humiliation’.”

Batoul says that despite all her fears regarding the future, she feels some relief about her return. "The people here are very kind and willing to help each other. As soon as someone hears that I fled the war in Lebanon, they volunteer to provide any kind of assistance. In the end, a person has no place but their people and homeland to rely on."

As for Hanan, she is not looking to settle permanently in Syria; she currently lives with her father and mother in a neighborhood in Damascus, awaiting developments that will allow her to return to continue her life with her entire family. "I can't be separated for long from my husband, and he is afraid of returning. I don’t want him or my son to face any security risks or disturbances."

Batoul concludes by stating that despite all her fears regarding the future, she feels some relief about her return. "The people here are very kind and willing to help each other. As soon as someone hears that I fled the war in Lebanon, they volunteer to provide any kind of assistance. In the end, a person has no place but their people and homeland to rely on."