The third phase of Lebanon’s government plan for the voluntary return of displaced Syrians has begun. On Thursday morning, 59 Syrians gathered in the Karantina area of Beirut before departing for Damascus.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Lebanon’s General Security confirmed the operation would take place Thursday at 6 AM via the Masnaa border crossing, in coordination with Syrian authorities and supported by international and humanitarian partners, including the UNHCR, IOM, the Lebanese Red Cross, and other NGOs active on the ground.
This initiative is part of a gradual plan launched by Lebanon and the UNHCR to facilitate the return of displaced Syrians. The second phase, launched in August, saw 280 Syrians return after several months of suspension.
However, the relatively small number of participants raises questions about the effectiveness of the mechanism designed to encourage the return of the nearly two million Syrians currently in Lebanon. UNHCR has pledged aid, while Lebanese authorities plan to ease the return of undocumented individuals and consider revoking refugee status for some registrants.
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