Syrians prepare to board a bus bound for Syria on Nove. 20, 2025. (Credit: Michel Hallak)
NORTH LEBANON — The Lebanese General Security (GS) organized on Thursday morning the 10th phase of its “voluntary return” plan for Syrian refugees and migrants residing in Lebanon, with 147 Syrians departing via the Arida border crossing in Akkar, North Lebanon, according to information from our correspondent.
This operation was implemented in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, according to a statement.
The displaced Syrians who wished to return home gathered in a hall in the locality of Kawashra (Akkar), from where they were transported by bus to Arida. The buses then crossed the Syrian border.
At the border post, procedures were facilitated by agents from the Lebanese General Security, as well as by representatives from UNHCR and other organizations.
Last Thursday, 400 Syrians returned home in GS convoys that departed from the Masnaa border post in the Bekaa Valley.
In total, about 114,000 people have registered for the Lebanese GS's voluntary departure program. The Lebanese plan offers $100 in assistance for each refugee wishing to leave, as well as exemption from fines for irregular stay.
Applicants commit not to return to Lebanon as asylum seekers. The UNHCR has introduced a plan to support returnees, ranging from “small housing repairs” to financial aid and essential goods.
Since 2011, Lebanon has hosted hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians fleeing war and abuses in their country.
According to a UNHCR estimate dated March 31, 2025, the number of officially registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon stands at 722,173.
However, the real number of Syrians living in Lebanon was estimated at 1.4 million before the fall of the Assad regime, with the UNHCR having stopped registering new refugees in May 2015.
Since the regime change in Syria in December 2024, thousands of refugees and migrants have returned to their homeland, but many are still hesitant to make the journey back due to the scale of destruction in Syria and the catastrophic economic situation prevailing there.
Reporting by our regional correspondent Michel Hallak.
