UN: Almost 200,000 refugees to return from Lebanon to Syria in 2025

Lebanese authorities, preparing a plan for the gradual return of Syrians to their country, estimate that there are more than 1.5 million Syrian citizens in the country, of whom more than 755,000 are registered with the UN.

According to Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, almost 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned to Syria from Lebanon since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2025. Most of them returned on their own initiative. After visiting Syria, Clements added that “the number is growing very quickly” and there are mass returns in the direction of Hama, Homs and Aleppo.

The Lebanese plan includes a $100 payment to help each refugee who wants to leave the country, as well as an exemption from fines for illegal stay. Applicants undertake not to return to Lebanon as asylum seekers. UNHCR is implementing a plan to support returnees, including “minor house repairs” and financial assistance, as well as meeting basic needs. According to the High Commissioner, about 80% of houses in Syria are damaged, and one in three families needs housing support. “The needs are enormous. Lebanon’s budget is shrinking, while Syria’s budget is growing,” he stressed. According to the UN, more than two million refugees and internally displaced persons have returned to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Despite the return, 13.5 million Syrians remain refugees or internally displaced outside the country. According to the UN, the new authorities inherited from the Assad regime a country with a devastated economy, a crumbling infrastructure, and the majority of its citizens living below the poverty line.