As Mahmoud Ahmad Tawbeh and his family fled, bombs dropped from over their heads. Houses blew apart in their village of Arnoun, Lebanon. Several neighbors were killed. Now they flee to Syria, where all 35 extended family members plan to share a rented house.
“We left with difficulty,” says Tawbeh.
For years, refugees have fled the war-torn nation of Syria. More than a million such refugees live in nearby Lebanon. But now people flee from Lebanon to Syria. They seek shelter from the nation’s growing conflict with Israel.
Last week, a series of explosions targeted Hezbollah members in Lebanon and nearby countries. Hezbollah is an Islamist terrorist group that largely operates out of Lebanon. Lebanon’s government blamed Israel for the strike. Since then, the two nations have traded fire. Some watchers think the conflict may spiral into war.
War or not, many people in Lebanon fear for their safety. Local authorities say Israeli bombardments have already killed 600 people, with over 2,000 wounded. Israel says these attacks target Hezbollah fighters and weapons. Lebanon claims the strikes have taken many civilian lives.
According to United Nations officials, thousands have already fled Lebanon. They wait for hours in heavy traffic. When they arrive, they find themselves in yet another conflict-filled country.
“Many will have to spend the night outdoors,” says Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN’s refugee agency.
Some of the evacuees are Lebanese citizens. Others are Syrian refugees who once fled their home country but now return, seeking safety.
Nada Hamid al-Lajji and her family lived as Syrian refugees in Lebanon for seven years. Now they have traveled back to Syria—but it’s no true homecoming.
“Where am I going to go?” she says. “I don’t even have a house anymore. I don’t know where I will go.”
Some Syrian refugees hesitate to return. They fear arrest or forced service in the Syrian military. On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed amnesty for military desertion or minor crimes committed before September 22. Syrians who fled before that date should have nothing to fear—or so the government says. Many would-be returnees remain unconvinced. But as violence grows in Lebanon, some make the trip anyway.
Families in Syria and Lebanon face life-or-death decisions. Pray that God would protect the innocent and guide them to safety.
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock. — Psalm 27:5
