More than half million Syrians return from Lebanon to Syria
Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Hanin Al-Sayyed highlighted the scale of the returns as unprecedented since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011. “For the first time since the Syrian displacement crisis began in 2011, Lebanon can point to concrete figures that reflect an actual return,” she said in a post on social media.
Official data indicated that 501,603 Syrian refugees left Lebanon last year. Al-Sayyed described the process as safe, organized, and sustainable, noting that those who returned were removed from UN refugee registration lists, confirming their effective repatriation.
The minister credited the success to a structured government strategy and a clear policy framework, calling it a historic outcome after years of limited or stalled return efforts. She added that a dedicated government committee will continue coordinating refugee returns in 2026, working with Syrian authorities and international partners to ensure the process remains orderly and respects the dignity of those returning.
Lebanon had introduced a new multi-phase plan for refugee returns in June 2025, which included both organized departures and individual returns outside official programs. Before the latest returns, authorities estimated that roughly 1.8 million Syrians were living in Lebanon, with nearly 880,000 registered with the UN refugee agency.
Earlier in 2025, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa expressed expectations that most Syrians living abroad would return home within two years.
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