Departure of a convoy of Syrian refugees under the auspices of UNHCR and IOM, on Oct. 2, 2025, at the Karantina neighborhood of eastern Beirut. (Archive photo: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — One hundred displaced Syrians left the town of Chtoura on Wednesday, boarding three buses headed to the Lebanese border crossing at Masnaa, as part of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) "voluntary return" program, in coordination with Lebanese authorities, according to a statement relayed by our correspondent in the Bekaa. They then crossed the border without incident.
This is the 18th convoy since the program began in late July 2025, launched by the Lebanese government in coordination with General Security and in cooperation with the UNHCR and the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The program was interrupted following the re-escalation of the war on March 2, but was reactivated a month ago.
According to UNHCR data, 672,699 Syrians known to the High Commissioner have returned to Syria since Jan. 1, 2025, either because their return was confirmed or because they were removed from the registers after a prolonged absence or loss of contact. Among them, 588,819 (88%) are considered spontaneous returns and 83,880 were directly assisted by the UNHCR as part of the voluntary return program, including returns facilitated due to force majeure.
