Najem Al Moussa and his family have been glued to
the news of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's overthrow in
their tiny Athens apartment.
Although delighted he is gone, Moussa now fears his family
will be forced to return to the devastated country they
fled in 2015.
My children cannot imagine leaving their friends from school one
day or that they would leave their teachers or their
area or that they would go back to Syria.
When we talk, they ask, Daddy, can we really go
back to living in these areas?
He and his wife spent everything on A2 year journey
that took them to Sudan, Iran, Turkey and eventually Greece.
First time asylum applications by Syrians to the EU were
highest in 2015 and 2016, more than 330,000 in each
of those years.
EU data shows applications trebled between 2020 and 2023 after
a devastating earthquake and as violence and economic hardship persisted.
European countries are now rethinking their asylum policies for Syrians
in the light of Assad's downfall.
Thousands of applications are now on hold.
Mosa's Greek residence permit is up for renewal and the
family is worried they will have to go back.
We have no solution but to go back.
There's no solution.
If they do not renew here, then of course we
have to go back to our country.
We have no other place to go to.
Thousands of civilians who moved to neighbouring Turkey and Lebanon
rushed back into Syria this week, hoping for a peaceful
homecoming.
Ahmad Abbas, who made Germany home after fleeing 12 years
ago, feels an urge to return.
But with Syria's future still uncertain, he is unsure if
now is the right time.
Maybe someone could say I'd go back for a week
or two.
I'll have a look at the country and see if
it's OK.
Yes.
And then if it's OK then I'll stay.
If not, then I'll come back to Germany.
Maybe Germany should really send people there, have a look
at the country, and then politicians should confirm that the
country's really back on its feet.
Because right now there has been no basic law in
Syria.
Now they have a free country.
They want democracy, but I haven't seen any new laws
yet.
Hundreds of thousands of people died in Syria's war, which
began in 2011 and pitted Assad's army against various rebel
groups.
Whole cities have been flattened by bombing.
The economy is in a dire state.
Millions fled or are in need of humanitarian assistance.