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A fresh batch of Syrian refugees returned to their homes from Lebanon on Monday as part of an ongoing repatriation initiative overseen jointly by the UN, the Lebanese authorities and the Syrian regime.
According to Lebanon’s state press, “hundreds” of refugees returned from Lebanon to their homes in Syria on Monday via the Al-Masnaa, Al-Aboudiya and Al-Zimrani border crossings.
The repatriation campaign is also being coordinated by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
A Lebanese security source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity that at least 700 refugees had set out for Syria on Monday from different areas of Lebanon.
The reopening of a border crossing linking Jordan to Syria will greatly benefit Lebanon’s economy, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Monday.The Jaber-Naseeb border crossing was opened early Monday morning following a three-year closure.In a statement, Aoun said that reopening the crossing would facilitate the movement of both people and goods from Lebanon to other states of the region -- and vice versa.According to the Lebanese president, the move will “revive Lebanon’s struggling export sector and reduce the cost of exporting Lebanese goods to other Arab countries”.Syria, Israel reopen main border crossingThere are two main border crossings linking Jordan to Syria, which has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 after the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity. With the help of Russia and Iran-backed militias, the Syrian regime has recently reassumed control of the two crossings following fierce battles with armed opposition groups that had held them for the last three years.Syrian FM: border crossing with Iraq should open soonJordan and Syria reopen Nassib border crossing
Lebanon leader hails reopening of Jordan-Syria crossing
Mustafa Mansour, head of the Syrian Workers' Union in Lebanon, said his union was working to ensure -- in coordination with the Lebanese security apparatus and the Syrian embassy -- the “safe and voluntary” repatriation of “hundreds” of Syrian refugees.
According to Lebanese figures, roughly 1.5 million Syrian refugees still remain on Lebanese territory. The UN, however, puts the number at less than one million.
Beirut has repeatedly warned that its large refugee population -- for which it has received scant international assistance -- was putting unsustainable pressure on its already limited resources.