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Photos: Syrian refugees' treacherous hike to safety in Lebanon

April 24, 2014 11:00AM ET

Desperate to flee Syria's bloody civil war, refugees trek dark mountain paths to escape

Topics:
International
Middle East
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Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
Saleh Zawaraa, 28, center, arrives on horseback after being severely injured by a tank shell as he tried to bring bread into the Syrian village of Beit Jinn, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. He and other Syrians refugees came over 2,814-meter (9,232-foot) Mount Hermon (Jabal el-Sheikh), into the town of Shebaa in southeast Lebanon. The village of Beit Jinn has been under siege by Syrian troops for months. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
A Syrian man carries his newborn baby in his arms, left, as he and his wife, right, descend a mountain path from the 2,814-meter (9,232-foot) high Mount Hermon (Jabal el-Sheikh), into the town of Shebaa in southeast Lebanon. Violence forced them to flee their home in the Syrian village of Beit Jinn, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
Samira Asrawi 45, right, and her daughter Marwa, 19, left, sit on the ground weeping next to their belongings as they wait to be vetted by Lebanese soldiers at an army check point after descending Mount Hermon. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
Farizeh Kabalan, 74, who fled her home in the Syrian village of Beit Jinn near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, is carried on horseback by a Syrian rider. Once at a Lebanese Army checkpoint, Kabalan collapsed into the hands of four Red Cross workers, who loaded her into an ambulance. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
Aid workers lift Kabalan from a horse after fleeing Beit Jinn in Syria, where no food and medicine has been allowed to reach thousands of trapped civilians. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
A Syrian volunteer, left, stands next to Saleh Zawaraa, 28, as he lies face down on a horse waiting for a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance after fleeing Beit Jinn. Saleh said he was hit by a tank shell while trying to bring bread into the village. Hussein Malla / AP
Syrian refugees, Lebanon, Hussein Malla
A Lebanese army soldier searches the belongings of a Syrian man who fled Beit Jinn. The soldiers are particularly suspicious of young men; the soldiers eventually let him through. Hussein Malla / AP

As the late-day sun slipped behind the mountains in front of them, a ragtag group of around a dozen Syrians desperate to flee their country's bloody civil war set off on their treacherous nighttime trek across the rugged frontier into neighboring Lebanon.

Ahead of them: at least a nine-hour climb in darkness up — and down — the 2,814-meter (9,232-foot) Mount Hermon. Once in Lebanon, they will join the more than 2.5 million other Syrians across the region who have escaped the civil war in their homeland to begin the life of a refugee.

On a recent night, those making the journey included a young couple with a newborn baby; a sick, elderly woman accompanied by her daughter and son; and a young man, both legs wrapped in bandages from heel to hip, who was secured with a rope face down to a horse for the hike.

At the foot of the mountain on the Lebanese side of the border, 32-year-old Syrian laborer Ibrahim Abdulghani saddled two horses. A flash of light from up the mountain signaled the Syrians were starting to descend. He rode up to meet them and guide them down through the wind and rain lashing the rocky slope.

Among them was 74-year-old Farizeh Kabalan, who could not walk. Abdulgahni put her and her meager belongings, all of which fit into a plastic bag, on a horse and slowly picked their way down the mountain to a Lebanese army checkpoint at the base. Once there, Kabalan collapsed into the hands of four Red Cross workers, who loaded her into an ambulance.

The Lebanese troops carefully searched the Syrians and their belongings to try to prevent rebels from sneaking into the country with weapons.

The soldiers are particularly suspicious of young men, like 28-year-old Saleh Zawaraa, who was wrapped in bandages. He told the soldiers he was not a fighter, but was hit by a tank shell outside of Beit Jinn while trying to bring bread into the village. The soldiers let him through.

Like those who fled before them, these Syrians spoke of immense suffering back home.

Most of them come from the village of Beit Jinn. They said the village has been under siege by Syrian troops for months, and no food or medicine has been allowed to reach thousands of trapped civilians inside.

Still, only the most desperate risk the perilous journey, Abdulghani said. The list of dangers, he said, runs long: crossfire from clashes; snipers; airstrikes; snow in winter and pouring rain in spring. For fear of being spotted by snipers while climbing up the mountain on the Syrian side, smoking is prohibited.

"They can light up a cigarette when they descend into Lebanon," he said.

Associated Press

Refugees Dodge Patrols on Deadly Mountain Hike to Safety

Citizens fleeing the conflict are faced with new challenges

 

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