Nadia’s eyes were full of tears as she crossed the border from Syria to Lebanon. She was finally going to see her son. A 14-year-old boy the last time she saw him; he is now 22 and living in Germany.

While Syrian refugees in Lebanon return home, many Lebanese remain on edge. Years of conflict have left the Syria-Lebanon borderlands scarred, and fears grow that instability could spill over again.

Syrians who have spent years living precariously in Turkey say they finally feel able to return home after the fall of Bashar Al Assad, despite the challenges ahead in rebuilding the country after more than 13 years of war.