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Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

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Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

2024-10-14 09:26 Last Updated At:19:27

Thousands of Lebanese have fled to war-torn Syria to escape Israeli air raids as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is sharply escalating.

The Israeli army has intensified its airstrikes against Hezbollah across Lebanon since September 23, resulting in an influx of a large number of Lebanese into neighboring Syria, with many border crossings between the two countries recording a sharp surge of entries.

Jusiyah, a major official border crossing between the two countries, has seen more than 60,000 refugees entering Syria from Lebanon.

The crossing, located in Homs, Syria, is a primary gateway to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, where many locals support Hezbollah, a militant group and a political party in Lebanon.

It used to serve as a gate for Syrian refugees entering Lebanon during the Syrian civil war. Now as Israel has intensified airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley, a large number of Lebanese have been entering Syria through this crossing.

Among the refugees is an exhausted elderly man who fled Lebanon with his wife to Syria to seek refuge. The arduous journey has exacerbated his illness, and he is currently receiving treatment from local aid agencies.

"A lot has happened in Lebanon. Homes have been destroyed, and civilians have been bombed. They target everything -- buildings, homes, everything. My husband fell ill. For him, I had to leave Lebanon," said the refugee's wife.

Despite having no ties in Syria, a Lebanese woman brought her children to Syria to temporarily escape the conflict.

"Yes, they are my children. Everywhere is full of fear and terror. The bombings target residential areas of civilians. There are no political targets. The children can only get some sleep when they are weary amid the bombings during those nights. There is nothing we can do about it," said a refugee.

Although the war in Syria is still going on, the Syrian authorities have established two refugee centers in the border town of Qusayr to accommodate Lebanese refugee families without other options in Syria.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border since last year, with growing concerns of a wider conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel intensifies in Gaza.

Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

Thousands of Lebanese flee to Syria amid escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict

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China-Kazakhstan border gate sees 75 pct annual increase in passenger traffic

2024-11-03 04:05 Last Updated At:07:17

More than six million people have checked in and out of the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center this year as of Friday, a 75 percent increase from the same period last year, according to data from the Center.

Located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center serves as a vital hub for trade and tourism between China and Kazakhstan.

The mutual visa exemption agreement between the two countries took effect on Nov. 10, 2023, allowing nationals from each country to stay in the other for up to 30 days per entry, with a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period.

Twelve manual inspection channels and ten express lanes at the Center are open daily to accommodate the peak passenger flow that begins early each morning.

Data from the Horgos entry-exit border checkpoint shows that the Cooperation Center sees an average daily traffic of over 20,000 people, with peak single-day numbers reaching as high as 37,000.

Home to over 200 duty-free shops, the Cooperation Center offers a vast selection of products across tens of thousands of categories, from handicrafts and clothing to specialty foods and high-tech items.

As the largest duty-free shopping zone in western China, it also stands as the world’s first cross-border free trade and investment cooperation zone.

Thanks to the Cooperation Center's preferential policies, prices in these duty-free shops are lower than elsewhere, attracting many tourists.

China-Kazakhstan border gate sees 75 pct annual increase in passenger traffic

China-Kazakhstan border gate sees 75 pct annual increase in passenger traffic

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