Syrian refugees who built lives in Jordan are packing up and starting over, as rising costs of living and aid cuts push them to return home—despite the hardships waiting on the other side of the border.
Thousands of Alawites have fled to Lebanon following sectarian killings on the Syrian coast. Local residents are springing into action, while some fear a spillover of violence.
Elation at the hope of returning home after Assad fell turned to shock for displaced Homs residents who found massive destruction and nonexistent services in areas they fled. Many turned back to northwestern Syria, waiting for reconstruction.
As Lebanon presses forward with mass deportations of Syrian refugees, those openly involved in opposition activities against the Assad regime face a growing danger.
In the remote Rukban camp, falcon trapping has become an obsession among the desperate residents. But while hunters dream of changed lives, birds pay a high price.
In addition to the food blockade imposed by the Assad regime since 2016, al-Rukban camp, in the no-man's-land along the Syrian-Jordanian border, suffers a medical blockade following the close of the UNICEF medical point on the Jordanian side of the border in March 2020.
Shop owners in Old Homs are forced to reopen their stores or face legally-baseless seizures by the regime.
