People gather at the Qaa crossing between Lebanon and Syria, which reopened on Sunday. (Credit: Photo provided by our correspondent in the Bekaa, Sarah Abdallah)
The Jousseh border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, in the Lebanese village of Qaa in Baalbeck-Hermel district, has reopened to traffic. The crossing had been closed for over a month after an Israeli airstrike in October damaged the road on the Syrian side, making it impassable, according to our Bekaa correspondent.
The strike left a large crater, which has since been filled, allowing displaced Lebanese residents to begin returning home. Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamiyeh visited the site to mark the reopening.
Local sources in Qaa told our correspondent that about 4,000 people, including many Lebanese who fled Israeli bombardment, are expected to cross the border today.
Following the reopening, around 4,000 displaced individuals who had fled Israeli bombardments returned to Lebanon via the crossing Sunday, according to sources cited by our correspondent.
The reopening was attended by MPs Ihab Hamadeh (Hezbollah) and Melhem Hojeiry (Sunni, aligned with Hezbollah), as well as Qaa parish priest Father Iliane Nasrallah, representing the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
On Oct. 25, an Israeli airstrike targeting the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon forced the closure of the crossing. According to information obtained by L’Orient Today the airstrike struck a bridge in an area known as Jousseh and destroyed a nearby cemetery. The region was bombed repeatedly throughout the war, including four strikes on Nov. 23, the day before the cease-fire agreement took effect.
Masnaa, Qaa and Arida crossings operational
Minister Ali Hamiyeh highlighted that Lebanese refugees in Syria can now return to Lebanon, following the reopening of all border crossings between the two countries.
"The Masnaa crossing [east of Chtoura] is operational on two lanes after being bombed last Wednesday, as is the Jousseh-Qaa crossing, which has been repaired by the Syrian state [in the Syrian town of Jousseh]. The Masnaa border crossing, which was bombed last Wednesday, is operational again, as is the Arida crossing [at the north-western tip of Lebanon, in the Akkar region]," he said, emphasizing the importance of keeping all crossings between Lebanon and Syria open — a goal he says he is actively working toward. Strikes targeted Arida and other border points in northern Lebanon just hours before the ceasefire took effect on Tuesday night.
"The Jousseh bridge was indeed bombed, but temporary structures have enabled the roads to be reopened," Hamiyeh added, stressing the strategic importance of the Qaa crossing for the export of Lebanese products to Syria. "It is an essential land border crossing that cannot be closed, even for a day," he insisted.
Hamiyeh also praised the Lebanese Army, describing it as a "pillar of the state."