Destruction of Lebanon-Syria border crossings in Israeli airstrikes creates difficulties

QUSAIR, Syria (AP) — 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 after the official border crossing was put out of commission by an Israeli strike two days earlier.

Only three functioning crossings remain between the countries, which share a border 375 kilometers (233 mi) 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 the two countries, putting it out of service. The Jousieh crossing was struck on Friday.

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.

“The situation is a tragedy,” said Ghossoun Mubarak, who fled with her three children from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, describing the bombardment that pushed her to leave her home. They crossed via the makeshift foot bridge on Sunday.

The United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR, said this week that around 430,000 people had crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the past month since Israel launched a major aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon as part of its push against Hezbollah. Lebanese officials give a higher estimate of more than half a million people.

Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, voiced concern over the damage to the crossings, calling them “a main lifeline for people escaping the conflict.”

“Today, it was better,” said Omar Abu Jabal, 29, who was returning to Lebanon Sunday via the Jousieh crossing after a work trip. “No issues along the way. But before, there were bombings, which stopped people from moving.”

Nabil Aakoul, director of transportation for the Homs province, said the recent strikes destroyed a bridge over the Orontes River, disrupting movement between vital agricultural areas. 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.

Yahya Abu Youssef, who lives near the damaged bridge, described the strike as “inhumane” and reported injuries to children and livestock nearby. “All that’s here is a bridge connecting villages and farms,” he said, noting that villagers now face an additional 10 kilometers (6 miles) of travel to reach the city of Homs.

People gather near a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike, which blocks the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian crossing points, in Jousieh, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A Syrian boy fleeing the war in Lebanon carries his luggages as he passes through a crater caused by an Israeli airstrike, which blocks the road between the Lebanese and the Syrian crossing points, in Jousieh, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A man on his motorcycle passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A Syrian man passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian citizens observe a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian citizens ride a motorcycle as they cross a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

SAO PAULO (AP) — Voters in Brazil’s biggest city, Sao Paulo, went to the polls Sunday in a mayoral race pitting incumbent Mayor Ricardo Nunes against leftist lawmaker Guilherme Boulos.

Nunes has lukewarm support from former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, while Boulos is an ally of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Various polls published Saturday showed Nunes, who inherited the mayorship after Bruno Covas died of cancer in 2021, is the favorite. His advantage over Boulos is greater than the margin of error of the Datafolha and Quaest polls.

In a day of mild rain, turnout appeared to be smaller than in the first round of voting, with no lines.

Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas, a Nunes supporter, claimed during a press conference, without offering evidence, that police had detected an endorsement of Boulos by criminal organization PCC.

Boulos, who frequently accused Nunes of harboring members of the criminal group in his administration, said in a press conference the governor should be arrested for his comments during the vote.

Boulos on Friday in a last-ditch effort for exposure accepted an invitation to debate self-help guru turned far-right politician Pablo Marçal, who finished third in the first round of voting on Oct. 7. At the end of the debate, Marçal urged his voters not to vote Sunday.

Lower turnout could work against Nunes.

Most of the attention in this year's municipal elections in Brazil has been on Sao Paulo, where the race was marred by episodes of violence involving Marçal in the first round of voting. Boulos, a longtime housing advocate for the poor, seeks to avoid his second consecutive defeat in the race.

Other Brazilian cities with more than 200,000 registered voters were also holding mayoral elections.

In Rio de Janeiro, incumbent Mayor Eduardo Paes was reelected in the first round for his fourth, non-consecutive term. Paes, an enthusiastic fan of Carnival, had Lula’s support but focused his campaign on local issues against Bolsonaro’s candidate, Alexandre Ramagem.

Brazilians were also watching closely for results in Belo Horizonte, one of the country’s biggest cities, where polls suggested Mayor Fuad Noman faced a close race with pro-Bolsonaro candidate Bruno Engler.

The vote in Fortaleza, another of the nation’s biggest cities, was in a dead heat between the candidate from Lula's Workers' Party, Evandro Leitão, and pro-Bolsonaro challenger André Fernandes.

Follow AP’s Brazil coverage at https://www.apnews.com/hub/brazil

FILE - A view of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a signing ceremony of a compensation agreement for damages caused by the 2015 collapse of the Mariana dam owned by the mining company Samarco, a joint venture of Vale and BHP, at the Planalto Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)