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Erdogan Plans to Repatriate a ‘Million Syrian Refugees’

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu opening a displacement camp in Idlib (AFP)
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu opening a displacement camp in Idlib (AFP)
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Erdogan Plans to Repatriate a ‘Million Syrian Refugees’

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu opening a displacement camp in Idlib (AFP)
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu opening a displacement camp in Idlib (AFP)

Turkey has announced a plan to return a million Syrians to their homeland, supported by national and international civil organizations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is making the necessary preparations for a comprehensive project that allows the voluntary return of one million Syrians to 13 regions.

Turkey intends to provide mosques, schools, hospitals, bakeries, and "all the needs of daily life and self-sufficient economic infrastructure, from agriculture to industry," Erdogan said.

The project is coordinated with Turkish and international non-governmental organizations and 13 local councils.

Making the remarks in a video message to a Turkish-sponsored residential construction project in Idlib, Erdogan said some 500,000 Syrians have already returned to "safe regions" in their home country in recent years.

Some 57,000 homes already house 50,000 families, and another 50,000 are to be built in Idlib.

Last week, Turkish media affiliated with the government said it plans to return Syrian refugees to their country, referring to the plans to encourage "voluntary return" and scure housing and services that guarantee the return of Syrian refugees.

A Turkish newspaper revealed a plan to return 1.5 million Syrian refugees to their country within 15 to 20 months, noting that the Turkish government has completed all the studies necessary to build 200,000 homes with Qatari funding.

The newspaper noted that the talks between Turkey and the Syrian regime aim to discuss two main issues, the refugees and the problem of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the most significant component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Hurriyet daily revealed details of the Turkish plan to ensure a stable life and encourage the voluntary return of refugees.

As part of councils established in the safe havens protected by Turkish soldiers, more than 12,000 local security guards have been trained, and nearly 3,000 consultants have been appointed to town and neighborhood administrations.

An urban security and management system has been established in Afrin, Ras al-Ayn, Azez, Al-Bab, and Tell Abyad. A judiciary communication system is also being tested in those cities and towns.

A new public hospital will be added to the health system, including eight public hospitals, 33 private hospitals, 106 health centers, 42 emergency health units, ten mobile health vehicles, and 76 ambulances.

Some 50,000 locals have been employed in the newly-built industrial zones. Farmers have been provided seed and fertilizers.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was possible to cooperate with the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, on terrorism and migrants without recognizing him.

Cavusoglu stressed that his country supports the unity of the Syrian territory, noting that the Syrian army has recently started fighting the People's Protection Units, the most significant component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which he said "plans to divide Syria."

The Turkish minister said that his country had started a new stage to "voluntarily and safely" return refugees to Syria in cooperation with Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.

Turkey hosts more than 3.7 million Syrians, and the Syrians' issues have topped the country's main agenda ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2023.

Several parties and officials, even within the ruling Justice and Development Party, have increased pressure on the government to begin the safe return of Syrians to their homeland.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed that his country is closely following developments in northern Syria and will not allow the establishment of a terrorist corridor on its southern borders.

Akar added that there is no difference between the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its extension in Syria, the People's Protection Units.

He added that Turkey would continue to fight the terrorists regardless of who supports them, in reference to the United States, which supports the SDF as an ally in the war against ISIS.

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Arab World

Report: Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit Lebanon on Thursday

16 March 2018, Austria, Vienna: Abbas Araqchi, then Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, gives an interview in Vienna. (dpa)
16 March 2018, Austria, Vienna: Abbas Araqchi, then Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, gives an interview in Vienna. (dpa)
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Report: Iran’s Foreign Minister to Visit Lebanon on Thursday

16 March 2018, Austria, Vienna: Abbas Araqchi, then Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, gives an interview in Vienna. (dpa)
16 March 2018, Austria, Vienna: Abbas Araqchi, then Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, gives an interview in Vienna. (dpa)

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told the Mehr news ​agency he will visit Lebanon on Thursday with an economic delegation.

A US-backed ceasefire agreed in November 2024 ended more than ‌a year ‌of ‌fighting ⁠between ​Israel ‌and Lebanon's Hezbollah, but it also required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned group.

Lebanon has sought to distance itself ⁠from Iran, with its Foreign ‌Minister Youssef Raji ‍last ‍month declining an ‍invitation to visit Tehran citing "current conditions" as not permitting the visit, and he instead ​invited Araqchi to visit Beirut for talks.

Arab World

Latest Israeli Escalation in Lebanon Raises Questions about All-out War

Rescue workers search for possible victims in a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP)
Rescue workers search for possible victims in a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP)
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Latest Israeli Escalation in Lebanon Raises Questions about All-out War

Rescue workers search for possible victims in a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP)
Rescue workers search for possible victims in a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP)

The Israeli airstrike that struck a three-storey building on Tuesday in the industrial zone of Sainiq, in the Sidon district in southern Lebanon, was part of a broader wave of attacks that on Monday targeted the western Bekaa Valley, Jezzine, and areas around Sidon.

With intensive drone flights over Baalbek and its outskirts, followed by surveillance over Tyre and Zahrani, the picture pointed to a new wave of escalation extending beyond the South that stretches from north of the Litani River to the Awali basin and parts of the Bekaa.

Timing

The escalation raises serious questions, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said, particularly as the “Mechanism” committee is set to meet on Wednesday.

The committee is tasked with halting hostilities and identifying practical steps to restore security and stability in the South, including Israel’s withdrawal to the international border, the release of Lebanese detainees, and the completion of the Lebanese Army’s deployment in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

In a statement, Aoun stressed that Israel’s continued attacks aim to derail local, regional, and international efforts to contain the escalation, despite Lebanon’s cooperation and the measures adopted by the government to extend state authority south of the Litani.

He added that these steps were implemented by the Lebanese Army “with professionalism, discipline, and precision.”

He renewed his call for effective international intervention to curb Israel’s actions and to enable the Mechanism committee to fulfill its mandate with the consensus of the parties concerned and sustained international support.

On Monday, Israel launched a series of strikes across eastern and southern Lebanon after issuing evacuation warnings to residents. Overnight, it continued air raids without warning on Zahrani and Sarafand.

At dawn on Tuesday, it struck a three-storey building in an industrial area in Ghazieh, near the coastal city of Sidon — about 40 kilometres south of Beirut — wounding one person, levelling the building, damaging nearby structures, and sparking a fire.

Later on Tuesday, an Israeli drone struck an area near a house in the village of Kfardounine, followed by another strike on a home in Khirbet Selm that killed two people, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The Israeli army said it had targeted “multiple military infrastructures” belonging to Hezbollah and Hamas, including weapons depots and military facilities above and below ground.

The statement said Hezbollah used these sites to advance “terrorist plans” and rebuild its capabilities. It also cited strikes on Hamas weapons-production sites in southern Lebanon allegedly used to arm the Palestinian group and plan attacks against Israeli forces and Israel.

Signals on the ground

The latest strikes carry several overlapping signals: a clear return to escalation; an expansion of operations to include areas north of the Litani, the Awali basin, and parts of the Bekaa; and a shift beyond targeting Hezbollah’s military infrastructure alone, with attacks on sites Israel says belong to Hamas.

This has brought strikes into predominantly Sunni areas, such as Manara in the western Bekaa.

Beyond the South

Retired Brigadier Khalil Helou told Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent developments reflect a broader Israeli strategy aimed at increasing pressure on the Lebanese government and state institutions, particularly the army, to accelerate implementation of the second phase of the plan to impose state monopoly over arms, especially north of the Litani, effectively across all of Lebanon.

He said Israel’s approach in Lebanon cannot be separated from the situation in Gaza and Iran, arguing that these arenas are interconnected within a single strategic vision that also intersects with US policy.

“What we are witnessing today is the outcome of wider political and security understandings that emerged after the meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, even if the details were never made public,” he said. The leaders met in late December.

Intelligence-driven operations

Helou described Israel’s recent strikes as “limited military operations with an intelligence-driven character rather than open political signaling.”

The absence of prior warnings in some cases, he added, points to targeted assassinations or precision strikes on sites believed to have particular military importance.

Dahiyeh a possible target, war unlikely

On potential escalation scenarios, Helou said strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh have become more conceivable than before within Israel’s margin of maneuver.

He nonetheless ruled out a full-scale war, arguing that Hezbollah is currently unable to mount a response even if the scope of attacks widens.

Iran

Turning to Iran, Helou said internal developments and debates within the Iranian regime play a decisive role in shaping Tehran’s regional behavior.

Any major decision by Hezbollah remains directly tied to Iranian guidance, he added.

“The Lebanese scene cannot be read in isolation from what is unfolding daily in Iran, where the broader strategic picture is being drawn,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Walla news site reported that there is no intention to scale back Israeli military presence along the Lebanese border and that operations will continue as required, even if this entails expanding their geographic scope to include areas north of the Litani, the Awali basin, parts of the Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The escalation comes ahead of a military meeting of the Mechanism committee and before a Cabinet session Thursday devoted to reviewing the Lebanese Army’s final report on arms control south of the Litani and preparations for a second phase north of the river.

Haaretz, meanwhile, reported that Trump told Netanyahu he was granting him limited leeway for any military operation against Hezbollah.

Helou said the next phase is likely to see intensified strikes and mounting pressure aimed at enforcing the second phase of disarmament across Lebanon without sliding into a comprehensive war, describing the current trajectory as a “calculated escalation serving broader political and military objectives.”

Arab World

Syria, Israel to Set Up Joint Cell Under US on De-Escalation

Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Syria, Israel to Set Up Joint Cell Under US on De-Escalation

Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)

Syria's new government and Israel will set up a joint group under US supervision to share intelligence and seek military de-escalation on the ground, they announced Tuesday after talks.

The Syrian foreign minister traveled to Paris in his country's first known meeting in months with Israel, which has pounded its historic adversary despite US unease over the pressure on the fragile government.

A joint statement issued by the US State Department after the talks in the French capital said that Syria and Israel were committed to "achieving lasting security and stability arrangements for both countries."

"Both sides have decided to establish a joint fusion mechanism -- a dedicated communication cell -- to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States," the statement said.

"This mechanism will serve as a platform to address any disputes promptly and work to prevent misunderstandings."

The statement did not say Israel would refrain from further strikes or restore an agreement that was previously in place.

Israeli strikes

Israel has no diplomatic relations with Syria, which during the half-century of rule by the Assad family publicly championed the Palestinian cause and was the Arab world's key ally of Iran's clerical state, Israel's arch-enemy.

Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive in December 2024 by Ahmed al-Sharaa after more than a decade of brutal civil war.

President Donald Trump has met and praised Sharaa, now the interim president, brushing aside Israeli skepticism.

The talks in Paris were mediated by Tom Barrack, ambassador to Türkiye and an outspoken advocate of supporting Sharaa.

The United States recently fully removed remaining sanctions on Syria, hoping to give the country a chance to integrate into the global economy.

Since Assad's fall, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israel, saying there was a power vacuum, also unilaterally declared void a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria that had kept in effect a ceasefire.

Sharaa has sought to restore the agreement and avoid wider conflict with Israel, but he has also opposed Israel's insistence on maintaining a demilitarized zone in southern Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called for economic cooperation with Syria and "regional stability and security."

"It was agreed to continue the dialogue to advance shared objectives and safeguard the security of the Druze minority in Syria," it said.

Israel has cited violence against the Druze, who also have a presence inside Israel, as a reason to intervene in Syria.

Israel in July launched massive air strikes, including hitting the defense ministry in Damascus, leading some analysts to believe it was hoping to degrade military capacities of Syria while it was at a weak point.