More than 400 Syrian refugees departed Lebanon on Wednesday morning as part of the fifth convoy of the voluntary repatriation plan organized by the Lebanese government, in coordination with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross, and several humanitarian partners.
The group crossed through the General Security border post at al-Masnaa toward Syria’s Jdeidet Yabous crossing in the Damascus countryside, according to Syria’s official news agency, SANA. This marks the fifth phase of the organized return plan launched in July, following four previous convoys coordinated between Lebanese and Syrian authorities.
The UNHCR and IOM launched the structured voluntary return program earlier this year to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon who wish to go back to their country safely. The initiative provides transportation from designated areas in Lebanon to official border points and onward to destinations inside Syria, with logistical support from Lebanon’s General Security Office.
Last week, a similar convoy carried 163 refugees from Tripoli to the al-Arida border in northern Lebanon.
Lisa Abu Khaled, the UNHCR’s spokesperson in Lebanon, said that since the beginning of 2025, around 300,000 Syrians have returned home, either through the UN-supported program or individual efforts before its official launch in July. “About 180,000 refugees have expressed interest in returning under the UN program,” she added, “and the number of returnees could exceed 400,000 by the end of this year.”
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