Lebanon Begins Implementing “Voluntary Return” Plan for Syrian Refugees

Dozens of Syrian refugees returned from Lebanon via the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing on Tuesday, July 29, as part of a repatriation plan announced by the Lebanese government in coordination with the Syrian government and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, this marks the first phase of the government’s plan to return displaced Syrians through coordination between Lebanon’s General Security Directorate and the Syrian state, via the al-Masnaa border crossing.

The operation is part of what was described as a “safe and organized return,” with the participation of UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross, and several humanitarian organizations.

UNHCR spokesperson in Syria, Celine Schmitt, said that 72 Syrian refugees voluntarily returned to Syria under the “Organized Voluntary Return Program.”

Quoting Schmitt, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that some returning families would head to areas in Homs, while others would return to parts of rural Damascus, including Qatana, Zabadani, Babila, Nashabiyeh, and Daraya.

Schmitt noted that UNHCR is supporting these families in Syria by providing transportation for them and their belongings and assisting with their reintegration needs.

Returnees will also be connected with community centers supported by UNHCR, where they can access essential services such as legal assistance for civil documentation, psychosocial support, livelihood opportunities, and other protection services.

As of July 14, more than 17,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon had registered interest in participating in the facilitated voluntary return program and received counseling on the process and its implications.

According to UNHCR data cited by Schmitt, 719,801 Syrian refugees have returned from neighboring countries since December 8, 2024, including 205,323 from Lebanon.

Director of the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing, Abdul Razzaq al-Masri, revealed in a statement reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that coordination with the Lebanese side is underway to facilitate the procedures for the first voluntary return convoy of Syrian refugees.

He added that returnees were exempt from fees and provided with full services upon arrival.

Targeting 200,000 Returns in 2025

The Lebanese government aims to return between 200,000 and 400,000 Syrians this year.

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs, Haneen Sayed‏, told Reuters that returning Syrians would receive $100 per individual and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria.

She added that transportation costs are covered and border authorities have waived related fees.

The plan focuses on informal settlements in Lebanon, which house around 200,000 Syrian refugees. Sayed said the government may offer work permits in sectors such as agriculture and construction to Syrian breadwinners if their families return to Syria.

Meanwhile, UNHCR spokesperson in Lebanon, Lisa Abou Khaled, said the agency would be forced to stop covering hospitalization costs for refugees entirely by the end of 2025 due to severe funding shortages.

Primary health care support has already been cut, directly affecting 80,000 refugees, she confirmed.