Beirut recently repatriated several hundred Syrians in collaboration with Damascus, as pressure mounts in Lebanon for refugees to return home. Vehicles filled with belongings and livestock gathered in Arsal, near the border, to transport returnees. A 57-year-old man expressed happiness at the opportunity to go back to his country after 10 years as a refugee.
Approximately 330 people participated in the “voluntary return” initiative, with an unspecified number arriving from Lebanon, as reported by Syrian state news agency SANA. Lebanon currently hosts around two million Syrian refugees, with almost 785,000 registered with the UN, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita.
The EU recently pledged $1 billion in aid to Lebanon to address irregular migration to the bloc, sparking criticism in Lebanon for not adequately addressing the public’s demand for Syrian refugees to leave. The Lebanese Parliament plans to discuss the EU assistance in an upcoming session.
Despite concerns raised by Amnesty International about the risks faced by returning Syrians, Lebanon initiated the “voluntary” return of small numbers of refugees in 2017. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah even suggested using migrant boats to pressure the EU.