As conflict intensifies in Lebanon, more than 140,000 Syrian refugees have been forced back across the border in the past two months, returning to shattered homes, ruined infrastructure and scarce opportunities.
Basel Barakat, from Uram Al Kubra on Aleppo’s outskirts, fled Syria after the battle of Aleppo and spent years in Lebanon. With the latest escalation there, he and his family have now returned to their hometown.
"We had a dream, a real dream, to go back without oppression, without planes, without shelling of this country," he said.
His family has returned to a district scarred by years of war and earthquakes, only to find their home reduced to rubble.
"We came back to find our houses completely destroyed, dilapidated, buried. But it is enough for us to return to our country, our village, our homeland. There is nothing worse than being away from one’s homeland," said Barakat.
Barakat's aunt, Samia Barakat, also returned with the family. Widowed and in poor health, she now lives with her sister. Rebuilding remains difficult amid destroyed infrastructure and scarce job opportunities.
"I came back to my country. But I was sad because my country is ruined. My homes are ruined. My income is gone. I have nothing," said Samia Barakat, aunt of Basel Barakat.
"If I die, they will bury me in the soil of our country, Syria," she added.
Already struggling to support its 16 million people, Syria now faces added pressure as the influx of returnees threatens to further strain the country’s limited resources.
Syrians seeking asylum in Lebanon return to ruined homeland as Israeli attacks intensify
Syrians seeking asylum in Lebanon return to ruined homeland as Israeli attacks intensify
