By Samer Yassin
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Syrian returnees from Lebanon are struggling to resettle in Northeast Syria, fearing yet another displacement due to escalating Turkish airstrikes in the region.
A long journey back
After 11 years in Lebanon, Muhammad Sheikho, 56, left behind the life he had built to escape the worsening conditions. Living in southern Lebanon, he had already survived Israeli strikes near his home.
Now, after a difficult journey, he is back in Hasakah, his hometown in Northeast Syria, with only the clothes he was wearing.
Sheikho, disabled since being shot in 1987, fears that recent Turkish bombardments in the region might force him to flee once again. “If we are displaced again, our suffering will be unimaginable,” he said, emphasizing the lack of shelter, resources, or any real means of survival as winter approaches.
Arriving at his sister’s home in Hasakah’s al-Musheirfa neighborhood, Sheikho faces not only physical challenges but financial hardship. His sister, a widow with orphaned children, struggles to make ends meet.
Recurrent hardship for other returnees
For Ihab al-Ahmad, 35, returning from Lebanon with her family meant reliving the trauma of displacement. They initially fled to Lebanon three years ago, hoping to find work and medical treatment for their daughter’s respiratory issues.
Now, once again displaced, al-Ahmad and her family have rented a modest home in Hasakah, where they feel the weight of insecurity and lack of resources.
“Each sound of shelling brings back the terror of Lebanon,” she shared, especially fearful for her children as winter nears and resources dwindle.
An escalating crisis
In recent days, Turkish airstrikes have devastated northern and northeastern Syria, with over a thousand strikes hitting civilian infrastructure, oil fields, and power stations. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) reports that, as of this week, 21,128 Syrian refugees have fled Lebanon, with 28 reported deaths.
As conditions worsen, Syrian returnees like Sheikho and al-Ahmad face another winter without the stability they desperately need, dreading the potential for further displacement amid relentless conflict.