Munir al-Qaddour, the leader of the Civil Defense team in Talkalakh, revealed the circumstances of the rescue operations that involved Syrian citizens who were forced to take a road along the border while trying to enter Syrian territory from Lebanon.
In a statement to the Al- الإخبارية channel on Sunday, December 28, Al-Qaddour stated that the Civil Defense received a notification from the Syrian Arab Army stating that there were civilians trapped in the Al-Shibani River located on the border between Syria and Lebanon. He added that the Civil Defense rescue teams rushed to the site, where they were able to rescue two women and a young man, and transfer them to Talkalakh Hospital, noting that the survivors mentioned the presence of another group that was still stuck, without knowing their fate.
Al-Qaddour stressed that additional reinforcements were requested, including divers, and that the teams continued search efforts to the farthest point accessible in the riverbed near the Al-Dabbousiya bridge, but were unable to complete their mission due to the danger of the place and the spread of mines planted by the “defunct regime.”
In a related context, the Al- الإخبارية channel correspondent reported earlier today that Civil Defense teams were able to rescue three people from a group of 11 Syrians, who were forced to head towards a waterway on the border while trying to cross the Lebanese border towards Syria, in light of conditions in which the region is witnessing strong floods.
It is worth noting that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Beirut announced on November 17 that 355,000 displaced Syrians registered with it had returned to their homeland as part of the voluntary return program, and confirmed the continuation of return trips according to the “approved schedule.”
