The Human Cost of War: A Farmer’s Journey

When the civil war erupted in Syria over a decade ago, a farmer named Ali Kheir Khallu, aged 37, was compelled to flee his village in search of safety. He and his family sought refuge in neighboring Lebanon, where he found employment cultivating oranges and bananas. Despite the challenges of his new life, he felt a sense of security that had been stripped away by the violence in his homeland.

However, that sense of safety was shattered last month when Israel intensified its military operations against Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militia. The escalating conflict led to heavy bombings of locations purportedly tied to the militia, and when the explosions occurred perilously close to Mr. Kheir Khallu’s home, he made the heart-wrenching decision to uproot his family once more. They left behind the fragile stability they had established in Lebanon and returned to Syria, where they are now faced with the daunting task of starting over once again.

“You want to make up for all that you have lost,” Mr. Kheir Khallu expressed. “But you are still in shock.”

As the conflict in Lebanon deepens, the humanitarian crisis has escalated, with more than 1.2 million people—approximately one-fifth of the nation’s population—displaced from their homes, according to government reports. While many have sought refuge in safer regions within Lebanon, over 470,000 people, predominantly Syrians, have crossed back into Syria in just the last six weeks, as reported by various aid organizations.

Since the onset of the Syrian rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, the regime has fought fiercely to maintain control, employing brutal tactics such as bombings, sieges of opposition-held areas, and the repeated use of chemical weapons. The conflict has drawn in numerous external forces, including Russia, the United States, and the jihadist group Islamic State, resulting in the displacement of approximately 12 million residents—more than half of Syria’s entire population.