Syrian refugees in Lebanon return to their country on Dec. 9, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Around 200 Syrian refugees departed on Wednesday from Beirut Arab University in Taanayel, Bekaa, to Aleppo, Idlib and Homs as part of Lebanon's thirteenth convoy of voluntary return, L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the Bekaa reported.
The return was organized by the Higher Committee for Syrian Displaced Persons and supervised by General Security, with departures via the Masnaa crossing.
The convoys have been carried out in cooperation with Syrian authorities, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Lebanese Red Cross, as well as various other humanitarian organizations.
Since July 2025, a total of 380,000 Syrian refugees have left Lebanon through the government's program, according to figures released on Monday by Social Development Minister Haneen Sayed, and have subsequently been removed from the UNHCR's registry of refugees in Lebanon.
A total of 400,000 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria in 2025, according to UNHCR, following the ousting of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
In agreeing to return to Syria via the program, participants are required to pledge that they will not seek asylum in Lebanon in the future.
Parallel to the program, UNHCR has drawn up a plan to support those returning to Syria, where destruction from the 13-year-long civil war continues to plague the quality of life, as various regions are still experiencing sectarian tensions and are prone to outbreaks of violence.
Support from the U.N. ranges from “small housing repairs” to financial aid and basic necessities. Many Syrians in Lebanon are hesitant to travel back due to the scale of destruction and the catastrophic economic situation.
Since 2011, Lebanon has hosted hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians fleeing war and violence 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 actual number of Syrians residing in Lebanon was estimated at 1.4 million before the fall of Assad's regime, as UNHCR was asked by the Lebanese government to stop registering new refugees in May 2015.
Reporting contributed by Sara Abdallah.
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil