Lebanese, who had fled to Iraq, stand in a queue as they prepare to head back home after a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 28, 2024. (Credit: Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters)
BEIRUT — On the afternoon of Nov. 28, less than 48 hours after the cease-fire in Lebanon, 49-year-old single mother Zainab Bachir and her 16-year-old daughter Zahraa boarded a bus from Karbala to Beirut. They bid farewell to their “chosen family,” newfound friends who had supported one another during their displacement in Iraq.However, their hopes of returning home to Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, were crushed when the bus driver announced an abrupt change of plans. “Potentially extremist armed rebels had captured Aleppo and other cities,” Zainab recalled him saying. “It could be dangerous for us to continue, and we must return to Iraq.” The decision, made under orders from the administration of the Imam Hussain Shrine in Karbala, left the passengers in a state of upheaval.“We heard screams from women, men, and children,” Zainab...
BEIRUT — On the afternoon of Nov. 28, less than 48 hours after the cease-fire in Lebanon, 49-year-old single mother Zainab Bachir and her 16-year-old daughter Zahraa boarded a bus from Karbala to Beirut. They bid farewell to their “chosen family,” newfound friends who had supported one another during their displacement in Iraq.However, their hopes of returning home to Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, were crushed when the bus driver announced an abrupt change of plans. “Potentially extremist armed rebels had captured Aleppo and other cities,” Zainab recalled him saying. “It could be dangerous for us to continue, and we must return to Iraq.” The decision, made under orders from the administration of the Imam Hussain Shrine in Karbala, left the passengers in a state of upheaval.“We heard screams from women, men, and...