Although around 700,000 displaced Syrians have returned to their country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, the influx into Lebanon has continued. More than 854,000 Syrians remain registered with the UN refugee agency as residing in Lebanon, placing a growing burden on a country already grappling with severe financial and economic crises.
Lebanon has therefore made the issue a priority in its relations with Syria. A Lebanese ministerial delegation visiting Damascus on Monday raised the matter with Syrian authorities, urging them to help facilitate returns and provide incentives to encourage them to go back to overcome their fears and concerns.
President Joseph Aoun also addressed the issue, calling for international assistance.
During a meeting Tuesday with Susanne Raab, director general of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Aoun explained that Lebanon was working to return displaced Syrians to their country, saying the political changes in Syria had removed the reasons for their displacement.
He stressed that Lebanon could no longer accommodate more displaced Syrians and noted that contacts with Syrian authorities were continuing to organize their return in stages.
Aoun urged the international community and humanitarian organizations assisting displaced Syrians in Lebanon to provide that assistance in Syria instead, to encourage them to return.
No clear Syrian response
An official Lebanese source said Beirut was seeking Syria’s cooperation in establishing a mechanism for the planned, organized and safe return of displaced Syrians in stages, rather than returning everyone at once.
The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon was also asking international organizations to limit funding and assistance currently provided to displaced Syrians to those who return to Syria, on the grounds that the circumstances that originally forced them to leave no longer exist.
Lebanon has yet to receive clear or definitive responses from Syrian authorities to these requests, according to the source, who identified the continued influx of Syrians into Lebanon as a major concern.
“It is true that around 700,000 people have returned to Syria since the fall of the former regime, but at the same time, large numbers of Syrians have entered Lebanon during the same period. This means that return figures alone do not reflect the full picture,” the source added.
UNHCR figures
According to records from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lebanon currently hosts 854,633 registered Syrian refugees, along with 12,218 refugees and asylum-seekers of other nationalities.
Official figures also show that approximately 700,000 Syrians registered with UNHCR in Lebanon returned to Syria between December 2024 and the end of September 2026.
A UN-supported voluntary return program was launched in July 2025 to assist Syrians wishing to return home. Since then, 23 organized return trips have taken place, including a convoy that departed from Tripoli last week carrying 61 returnees.
UNHCR spokesperson in Lebanon Dalal Harb explained that the program supports those wishing to return by providing information, legal assistance, transportation and cash assistance through official border crossings.
Returning families receive a one-time cash grant of $100 per returning individual to help cover logistical arrangements associated with their return through official border crossings. Some particularly vulnerable families qualify for an additional one-time payment of $300 per household.
Inside Syria, eligible households among the most vulnerable groups may receive cash assistance of up to $600 per family, depending on an assessment of their circumstances and the program’s established criteria.
‘Syria Is Home’
To help refugees make informed decisions, UNHCR operates an online platform called “Syria Is Home”, which provides practical information on documentation requirements, housing, healthcare, education and return procedures.
UNHCR and its partners inside Syria also offer legal assistance, guidance, counseling and referrals to relevant authorities.
Harb told Asharq Al-Awsat that since the fall of the former regime, “refugees have increasingly expressed their intention to return to their country, whether now or in the near future.”
However, she noted that many refugees remain hesitant to make the decision because of uncertainty surrounding conditions in Syria in both the short and long term.
According to Harb, their main concerns include safety and security, unresolved housing issues, particularly whether they have homes to return to, access to essential services such as education and livelihood opportunities, land and property issues, and the availability of humanitarian assistance after their return.
A national priority
Many believe that the return of Syrian refugees is a priority for the Lebanese government rather than the Syrian government, which is occupied with addressing numerous other challenges.
Syrian writer and political researcher Dr. Maher al-Tamran, however, stressed that “the issue of return must be a Syrian national priority.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Tamran explained that “genuine incentives go beyond facilitating border crossings or providing financial assistance. They begin with ensuring legal security, protecting property rights and providing housing, education, healthcare and employment opportunities.”
Tamran acknowledged that the return issue “exceeds the financial capabilities of both countries,” but emphasized that this “does not absolve them of their political responsibility.”
“Lebanon wants to ease the economic and social burdens resulting from the refugee presence, while Syria needs to regain its human resources. But neither country can achieve sustainable returns without an international partnership,” he explained.
“What is needed is a shift from funding relief to financing recovery through an international fund to reintegrate returnees. Most importantly, assistance must not become a means of pressuring refugees,” he added.
