Syrian Refugees: Returns and Displacement in Lebanon

Nine months since the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime in Syria, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have returned to their home country, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Following a recent trip to the region by the agency’s deputy high commissioner Kelly Clements, a UNHCR spokesperson told The Beiruter on Friday that more than 238,000 refugees in Lebanon are recorded or believed to have returned to Syria in the past year.

Refugees in other neighboring countries have also been returning to Syria, bringing the total number of Syrians who have gone back to their home country since last December to 862,396, according to the UNHCR.

These figures come amid a new push by humanitarian organizations and the Lebanese government to facilitate the return of an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. In July, the UNHCR and International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched a voluntary return programme in coordination with the Lebanese government to support people seeking to go back to Syria by providing cash assistance and optional transportation.

UNHCR staff supporting refugees returning from Lebanon to Syria. Photo: Houssam Hariri, UNHCR.

It is unclear how many people have so far returned to Syria through the programme. UNHCR Spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled noted that the majority of people who have gone back to Syria did so before receiving UNHCR support. Still, she said that 114,000 people have registered for the voluntary return programme, “some of whom have already returned while others are in the process.”

Support for individuals returning to Syria doesn’t stop once they’ve left Lebanon. The UNHCR and partners also provide assistance to people after they arrive in Syria, including cash assistance, counseling, legal support, and shelter.

Overall, it is expected that up to 400,000 Syrians may return by the end of 2025, including those supported by specific assistance to do so

There are various reasons for why Syrians in Lebanon are choosing to go home.

“Some are no longer receiving aid from UNHCR and don't have stable jobs. Others were wanted by the Assad regime, and after its fall, the security situation has improved. There are also other reasons, such as missing home and wanting to check on their houses to see if they are livable,” said Jenan Albakouny, a social worker at an NGO that provides humanitarian support for people in Syria.

Mohamad Hamra, a Syrian national living in Damascus who helps refugees return to Syria, also pointed out how the overthrow of Assad made it safe for people to go back home.

“A lot of people were wanted for military service or were labeled as terrorists. After the fall of the regime, these accusations went away,” he said. “This enabled people to return.”

Hamra also noted a demographic component. He said that most refugees in Lebanon are Sunni Muslims, which made up the core of the opposition movement against Assad, whose family comes from Syria’s Alawite minority. “With the fall of the regime, this allowed most of them to return,” Hamra said.

While the UNHCR projects upwards of 400,000 refugees returning to Syria by the end of this year, that leaves potentially a million other individuals still in Lebanon. Those choosing to remain have different reasons.

Devastated by the civil war, the country struggles with large-scale destruction and damage to its infrastructure, along with electricity and water shortages. Earlier this year, the UNHCR published a report which found that among refugees who owned a home in Syria, 81% had houses that were uninhabitable or completely destroyed. Syria’s economy also remains in shambles, and employment can be hard to find. Hamra said that Syrian refugees with jobs or businesses in Lebanon prefer to remain in the country.

Now, refugees who return don’t have jobs or income to cover expenses

Albakouny noted similar hardships.

“Most of those who have returned are facing many challenges, such as the difficulty of securing livelihoods, uninhabitable homes that need renovation, and poor health conditions that prevent them from working,” she said. “Community centers are also far from them, as many live in areas that are remote and lack basic services. Many people are in need of medical services, financial assistance, and food baskets. Unfortunately, the situation on the ground is catastrophic.”

There is also the question of safety and security. Since last December, there have been multiple episodes of large-scale sectarian violence, prompting tens of thousands of Syrians to flee to Lebanon.

For Abou Taher, a Syrian refugee living in the Beqaa Valley with his family, the inability to return home largely comes down to finances.

He and his family are originally from Homs. A decade ago, he fled Syria after being imprisoned by the Assad regime. He settled in Zahle, but without legal residency, he and his family lived in fear of being caught and deported.

Last year before the fall of Assad, that nightmare became a reality. While working at a thrift store, Abou Taher was arrested and deported. However, he never fully entered Syria. Using connections, he paid smugglers $800 to get him from the border area back into Lebanon.

Since then, he refuses to work and is careful about leaving home, fearful that he might be caught and deported again. His fear is not unfounded. In recent months, Lebanese military and security forces have carried out raids and operations that have led to the arrest of hundreds of Syrians without legal residency papers.

“My life is very hard regarding this matter,” Abou Taher said.

Sometimes, I don’t dare to go anywhere. There is always fear

Abou Taher’s father has gone back to Syria to see if it is feasible for the family to return, but with the their homes destroyed, they find themselves in limbo.

“The situation is good, but we financially are unable to rebuild,” he said.

While his 12-year-old son works and makes some money for the family, it is far from enough. Unable to even afford rent, Abou Taher said he is hoping to receive assistance from the UN to resettle in Syria.

“It’s been four months since I was able to pay rent,” he said. “It’s $150 a month that I am unable to pay. So, I say that it’s better for me to go live in a tent in my country than to stay here.”