Thousands returning to Lebanon from Syria following ceasefire
The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) says the number of people returning to Lebanon from Syria is gathering pace since the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah last week.
It said between November 27 and 29, some 15,000 people crossed back into Lebanon through the Jdaidat Yabous border post, while more than 11,000 people returned through the Joussieh border post.
These are the only two functioning border crossings since Israeli forces attacked the posts at Daboussieh, Jisr al-Kamar and al-Arida, according to the agency.
Most of those who returned were Lebanese seeking to go back home. Many of them expressed their strong desire to return home even if their houses had been destroyed, the UNHCR said.
‘Our seeds, our roots’: Sowing hope as Israeli bombs fell on Lebanon
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/12/1/our-seeds-our-roots-sowing-hope-as-israeli-bombs-fell-on-lebanon
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon – In Saadnayel, a few kilometres from Masnaa, a mudbrick farmhouse stands surrounded by abundant fields.
This is the home of Buzuruna Juzuruna (“our seeds are our roots”), an agroecological collective with Lebanese, Syrian and French members.
Founded in 2015 as an experimental project, the farm has steadily expanded to encompass 2 hectares of land (5 acres) on which it grows fruit and vegetables as goats, sheep and chickens roam around.
But most important of all on this farm is the dark, dry room in the main mudbrick building that holds an invaluable treasure: an extensive “seed library”.
Here, rows of boxes filled with heirloom seeds are stacked on wooden shelves, each with its species and variety written in Arabic and French.
“Here, we have about 1,000 kinds of seeds,” Youssef said, foraging through the boxes. “We have about 50 varieties of tomatoes, and as many of chillis , eggplants and lettuce, as well as 75 kinds of local and traditional wheat seeds from all over the Mediterranean basin,” he adds proudly.
So used to periodical war, creating a seed bank to recover.
Explosions on outskirts of southern Lebanese towns: Report
The Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported several explosions on the outskirts of Yaroun and Maroun al-Ras, two towns in southern Lebanon, during the fifth day of the truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated, with numerous Israeli attacks and bombardments throughout Saturday when, for the first time since the agreement was reached on Wednesday, civilians were again killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
