The war in Lebanon has made life harder for Hayat and many of the other 176,000 migrant workers estimated to be in the country. But her hardships, like those of other migrant women, began long before conflict flared up between Hezbollah and Israel.

Many in Lebanon are enduring sleepless nights, their peace shattered by the relentless roar of Israeli jets and the deafening explosions raining down on Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Beqaa, and across South Lebanon. The skies are ablaze as displaced people flood the streets, schools are once again closed, and live images testify to the devastation. What once seemed confined to South Lebanon has now reached Beirut and many parts of the Beqaa.

A new leadership has taken power in Syria. But while many Syrians are glad to see the Assad regime gone, they worry about Syria’s next chapter.