BEIRUT, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Janet Awad and her family of five felt nostalgic and anxious as they crossed the Masnaa border, returning from Syria to their homeland, Lebanon, after being displaced for two months amid the deadly conflict between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel.
Eagerly keeping track of military and political developments in Lebanon, Awad and her family immediately began preparing to return to their hometown upon learning that a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel took effect on Nov. 27.
"The ceasefire agreement has restored our hope for the beginning of a new phase in our country, which will enable us to repair and rebuild what was destroyed and return to a quiet, comfortable, and secure life," she told Xinhua after completing the crossing procedures at the Lebanese General Security offices to depart for her home in Duris, a village in eastern Lebanon.
Among the returnees was Hamed Abu Shdid. Upon his arrival in a car at the Masnaa border crossing, carrying mattresses, blankets, and some belongings of his family members, Shdid expressed his gratitude to the Syrians for offering care and support to the displaced Lebanese.
"We are tired of wars, killing, displacement, and destruction, and it is time for us to live a life full of peace, joy, and reassurance," Hamed, whose facial features reflected a mix of despair and hope, told Xinhua. "We look forward to a happy and peaceful future away from war and its woes, hoping that this will be the last war in our country."
"My hope now is to work with my fellow countrymen to rebuild what was destroyed as quickly as possible," he said, "so that Lebanon can once again become the pearl of the East."
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport has been repairing border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, which were damaged by Israeli airstrikes, since the first day of the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel.
"Traffic at the border crossings between Lebanon and Syria has returned to normal," Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh said in a statement on Saturday after touring border crossings, adding that "all the six legal crossings are now open and are witnessing heavy traffic from the Syrian side to Lebanon."
"Over 6,000 people returned on the first day of the ceasefire, and the number exceeded 9,000 on the second day," an anonymous source from the Lebanese General Security at the Masnaa border crossing said.
According to the Lebanese General Security, more than 600,000 people, Lebanese and Syrians, were displaced from Lebanon to Syria as a result of the Israeli airstrikes that targeted most Lebanese areas.
The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel brought an end to more than a year of conflict in Lebanon. The confrontation has been regarded as the bloodiest since the last war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006.
