Over 10K displaced Syrians set to return from Lebanon border area

News Network

July 30, 2017

Beirut, Jul 30: More than 10,000 displaced Syrians in Lebanon’s mountainous border areas have registered their names to return home, following a local cease-fire between Hezbollah and militants.

Double that number is expected to eventually leave the areas around the town of Arsal, a local relief association said, with convoys expected to head back to Syria.

The majority of those leaving are expected to be civilians, but their number will also include fighters, some of whom are wanted by the Lebanese army.

Militants from Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham (JFS), which was formerly known as Al-Nusra Front and was linked to Al-Qaeda, had earlier battled with Hezbollah in the barren and mountainous area.

Hussam Al-Ghali, general coordinator for the Union of Relief and Development Associations in Lebanon, told Arab News that JFS representatives went into the camps in Arsal after the cease-fire agreement, to register the names of families wanting to join convoys heading to Idlib in Syria.

Al-Ghali expects the total number of those registering to leave to reach 20,000.

An official in Arsal’s municipality told Arab News that “the itinerary of the convoys will vary, depending on the areas that the displaced are heading to.”

The convoys are expected to take different routes.

“The Saraya Ahl Al-Sham fighters, the majority of (whom were) in the Free Syrian Army … will follow the (route) of Arsal, Flita, Qalamoun,” the Arsal municipality official said.

The JFS militants and their families are expected to head toward Idlib, he added.

“The convoys will be under the responsibility of the Syrian regime forces and the Red Cross,” the official said.

He added that a number of Arsal residents who have registered their names have started selling their items, including refrigerators, washing machines, cars and furniture.

“The JFS is trying to convince the largest number of displaced people to join the convoys, in order to ensure the safety of the convoy, as most of the people will be civilians,” Al-Ghali said.

“Some people want to go to Idlib to reunite with their relatives; there are people who will go with the convoy and do not belong to JFS, so they are afraid to be counted as JFS members later on.”

An official in one of Arsal’s camps expected the convoys to start moving as of Sunday.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah media reported that three of its militiamen got lost in the barren and mountainous region, while Lebanese media reported that the JFS took them hostage. Hezbollah neither denied nor confirmed this.

Lebanese security sources confirmed that the JFS still has control posts in the area, and will only leave the locations after the complete implementation of the cease-fire.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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