War and high costs trap Iraqi families in Lebanon

Shafaq News- Beirut/ Baghdad

Dozens of Iraqi families displaced by fighting in southern Lebanon are struggling to return home as high travel costs, border restrictions, and the lack of an Iraqi evacuation plan leave many stranded in shelters, a source at Lebanese relief centers told Shafaq News.

The source said the families fled to shelters opened by the Iraqi embassy, including two centers in Beirut, but many cannot afford the journey back. Travel through Jordan costs about $300 per person, a sum beyond the reach of most of those stranded.

Baghdad has not yet launched evacuation operations from Lebanon, while around 15 young Iraqis remain unable to secure suitable housing and some families are living in tents. According to the source, the number of displaced Iraqis could rise as people continue leaving southern Lebanon, especially Dahiyeh. The Iraqi community in Lebanon had numbered between 10,000 and 11,000, with many students already returned, while about 100 Iraqi families remain in the south.

Current travel rules allow departure only for Iraqis married to Lebanese or Syrian nationals, creating an additional humanitarian burden for other families unable to leave.

The crisis has deepened after Iraq extended its airspace closure, forcing stranded citizens onto long and costly land routes. Authorities have begun return operations through the Trebil border crossing, but overland transport fares have surged amid high demand and limited options.

Read more: Iraqis stranded abroad turn to costly land routes amid airspace closures