(28 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Qusair, Syria – 27 October 2024
1. Various of damaged bridge after strike
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nabil Aakoul, Director Of Transportation for Homs Province:
“A completely destroyed bridge. Rebuilding it will take us a long time and will be very expensive. Currently, movement is cut off between the two banks of Orontes River and the livelihoods of farmers, peasants and villagers is impossible, (because) moving between the two banks of the river (cannot be done). We are trying as much possible to find alternative solutions but the situation is bad.”
3. Various of people on bikes on destroyed bridge
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Imad Ajloun, Syrian citizen:
“We were sleeping and woke up to the sound of an explosion at 3:30 in the morning. We didn’t know the source, but we knew it was close to us. We woke up the next day and they were saying that Israeli airstrikes hit the bridge here and we came to see.”
5. Various of destruction in border crossing
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nabil Aakoul, Director Of Transportation for Homs Province:
“We cannot estimate the costs accurately, because the bridge needs to be inspected. We must go down and check how much the cement was affected by the strike. But within minimum limits, the minimum limits for building the bridge is 35 billion Syrian pounds (about $2.5 million USD), taking into consideration that the foundation and support beams are intact. But right now, even to inspect it, we need equipment and tools. And in the next few days we will assess the damage accurately.”
7. Various of destruction
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghossoun Mubarak, Lebanese refugee:
“The situation is a tragedy. Everyday there are strikes and hits. We were under strikes and we got out from under the strikes and we succeeded in coming here, thank God.”
9. Various of destruction
STORYLINE:
A stream of refugees fleeing Lebanon to Syria crossed a narrow makeshift bridge on foot Sunday in the Qusair area of Syria’s Homs province.
The official border crossing was put out of commission by an Israeli strike two days earlier.
Only three functioning crossings remain between Syria and Lebanon, which share a border 375 kilometers (233 miles) long.
In late September, an Israeli airstrike hit the border crossing of Matraba in Lebanon’s northeast, forcing it to close.
A few weeks later came a strike on Masnaa, the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, putting it out of service. The Jousieh crossing was struck on Friday.
Nabil Aakoul, director of transportation for the Homs province, said the recent strikes in Qusair destroyed a bridge over the Orontes River, disrupting movement between vital agricultural areas.
One witness said the blast woke him up before sunrise, and sounded like it was nearby.
Aakoul estimated that rebuilding the bridge will cost around 35 billion Syrian pounds (around $2.5 million dollars at the official exchange rate), while the damage has severed access to agricultural areas and isolated communities dependent on cross-river trade and travel.
The Israeli military has accused the Hezbollah militant group of using the crossings to move weapons and military equipment from Syria to Lebanon.
But humanitarian officials say that the closure of the crossings have intensified an already severe humanitarian crisis by blocking key routes for supplies and impeding access for those fleeing to safety.
Lebanese officials give a higher estimate of more than half a million people.
AP video shot by Abd Al Rahman Shaheen
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