Mohammed Fawaz and his family had to evacuate Lebanon so frequently due to Israeli bombardment that they eventually relocated to central Iraq, several kilometres (miles) away, in search of safety.
“Wherever we went, danger followed,” the 62-year-old white-haired Lebanese man told AFP in the small town of Al-Qassem, sitting with his wife and daughter.
“That’s when I thought of Iraq. It was the only way I could see to escape the danger after we saw death with our own eyes.”
As far as the eye can reach, tall palm trees typical of Iraq’s Babylon province stretch across from the modest home where they currently reside, past a bustling road.
Since the intensification of hostilities in Lebanon, some 19,200 Lebanese have arrived in Iraq, according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.
To handle the inflow, the Shiite religious leaders and the Baghdad administration swiftly mobilised.
The Hashed al-Shaabi, a coalition of pro-Iranian paramilitary organisations that are now part of Iraq’s security forces, also accomplished this.
Everyone showed up to greet the refugees, assisting them with travel to Iraq and setting up lodging.
The solidarity has highlighted the close ties between the Shiite communities of both countries.
Iraq has always welcomed pilgrims from Lebanon to its well-known Shiite sites in Karbala and Najaf.
In response to regular Israeli attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, however, the pro-Iranian Baghdad government is now also prepared to show that it is committed to the country.
Originally from south Lebanon, Fawaz first relocated to Beirut’s southern suburbs before relocating to the city’s outskirts.
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