Damascus – The number of Syrians returned from Lebanon to Syria has increased by 30 per cent over the past two months in comparison with 2017, local media reported on Thursday.
Syria’s Interior Minister Muhammad al-Sha’ar said the increased rate in the return was a result of the stability and peace that have recently been achieved.
“For the relief, the Syrian people have felt following the victories of the Syrian army,’’ al-Sha’ar said.
Report says it comes as the two batches of Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon this month amid calls from the government.
Earlier in July, the Syrian Foreign Ministry called on all Syrians who left the country to return home, urging international organisations to shoulder their responsibilities in facilitating the return of people to Syria.
Throughout the seven-year war in Syria, millions of Syrians fled to nearby countries and Europe.
In 2016, among an estimated pre-war population of 22 million, the UN identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which over 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and around 5 million are refugees outside Syria.
Lebanon, the small neighbouring country, has reeled under the pressure of hosting over one million Syrian refugees, with its officials repeatedly urging for returning of the Syrians.
