"My home and shop were burnt and family threatened, " said al-Sadr, a Shiite Jordanian whose mother and wife are Lebanese from al-Qasr.

NPR: Hezbollah-Backed Lebanese Shiites Fight In Syria

It was here, at Qasr Al-Yahud, that John the Baptist set up his ministry, preaching to businessmen, soldiers and sojourners that passed by.

BBC: A Biblical guide to the West Bank

Iraqis complain that, were it not for sanctions, foreign ships would be overflowing from cramped Umm Qasr to the port of Basra, 80 kilometres up the Shatt al-Arab waterway from the Gulf.

ECONOMIST: The Gulf