Fleeing the militants, 35,000 Syrian families take refuge in Baalbek-Hermel

BEKAA, Lebanon –   As Syrian cities fell to the armed opposition groups one after another like dominoes, the Lebanese towns in northern Bekaa close to the border with Syria have witnessed an unprecedented exodus of refugees.

Fearing militants who have captured Syria, thousands of Syrian and Lebanese families have flocked to the villages in northern Bekaa all at once. They fear a repeat of the horrible experience of previous years at the hands of terrorists.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Crisis Cell estimates that nearly 35,000 families have moved to Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, and people still seeking refuge have not stopped.

The displacement movement has been limited to 5 crossings in Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali, 4 in al-Qusayr, and another in Matraba. The 2 crossings of Josieh-al-Qaa and Matraba al-Sharai were closed from the governorates of Homs and Hama towards the villages of al-Labweh, al-Bazaliyah, and al-Nabi Othman in northern Bekaa.

The Hermel region alone has received nearly 80% of the displaced.  There has been no capacity to accommodate this number due to the huge number and lack of an official decision to provide shelter. The municipalities have opened Husseiniyas, mosques, churches, cultural and entertainment centers to them. Indeed, large numbers of displaced people remained on the roads.

The displacement is not limited to Syrian families only. Also, Lebanese families who live in Lebanese villages inside Syrian territory have fled. They have taken refuge either in homes they own in some Lebanese villages in northern Bekaa or in the homes of their relatives who just returned from Homs after a two-month displacement due to the Israeli air raids on Lebanon.

It is worth noting that most of the people who have moved to the villages of northern Bekaa are mostly Shiites or affiliated with the ousted Syrian government. Some displaced Christian people have taken refuge in the town of Al-Qaa, where the church hall has been opened for them to shelter.

On the other hand, people who were opposed to the Assad government and lived in Lebanon as refugees have returned to Syria. Their number is estimated at more than 90,000, including gunmen who opened fire in celebration and causing horror among Lebanese citizens.

The Lebanese hostile to the ousted Assad government held wide celebrations, top among them the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea. He said this is “a day of shame and disgrace for those Lebanese who for decades continued to flatter the Assad regime in exchange for a little cowardice and political positions.”

Geagea has hastened to define the features of the upcoming political scene in the region, according to what the US-Israeli hegemonic project dictates, asking Hezbollah to get rid of “its military structures,” setting a timeframe for doing so “within two months at most.”