Separated for decades, Assad's fall spurs hope for families split by Golan Heights buffer zone
When Israel seized the strategic Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, many families were separated by a buffer zone created between the Israeli-controlled region and the rest of Syria
By ELENA BECATOROS
Published - Dec 19, 2024, 03:11 AM ET
Last Updated - Dec 19, 2024, 03:11 AM EST
MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (AP) — The four sisters gathered by the side of the road, craning their necks to peer far beyond the razor wire-reinforced fence snaking across the mountain. One took off her jacket and waved it slowly above her head.
In the distance, a tiny white speck waved frantically from the hillside.
“We can see you!” Soha Safadi exclaimed excitedly on her cellphone. She paused briefly to wipe away tears that had begun to flow. “Can you see us too?”
The tiny speck on the hill was Soha’s sister, Sawsan. Separated by war and occupation, they hadn’t seen each other in person for 22 years.
