The Syrian-Lebanese border is witnessing a growing flow of returnees as hostilities escalate in the region, pushing thousands of Syrians to return despite the fragility of conditions inside the country. According to the latest report issued by the United Nations, the number of people fleeing exceeded 200,000 during March, in a movement that reflects just how dire conditions are for Syrians in Lebanon.
While some returnees are moving toward permanent settlement, others face limited options amid a shortage of basic services, increasing pressure on the humanitarian response inside Syria, which is already suffering from widespread economic decline and deteriorating public services and security conditions.
Return driven by security escalation
The escalation of hostilities in late February led to a marked increase in cross-border movement from Lebanon into Syria. Between March 2 and 27, more than 202,477 people crossed through the three official border crossings, according to the Syrian authorities, including 175,134 Syrians, 48,888 of whom said they intended to return permanently, in addition to 27,343 Lebanese.
The data indicate that these flows include Syrians who had already planned to return, alongside others who fled airstrikes and the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon, where aerial and artillery bombardment intensified in the south and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas with a high concentration of Syrian refugees.
This escalation comes in the context of a broader regional confrontation linked to tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, after Hezbollah began launching rockets toward Israeli territory following the killing of Ali Khamenei, prompting an Israeli response that developed into reciprocal shelling, widened the scope of the confrontation, and drove additional waves of displacement.
Cross-border movement was concentrated through the Masnaa–Jdeidet Yabous crossing at 47 percent and the Qaa–Jousieh crossing at 38 percent, both of which operate around the clock to facilitate the passage of people and goods, while the Arida crossing remained limited to pedestrians only because of a bridge collapse and closes at 8 p.m.
Return under fragile conditions
Return movements peaked in early March, with Syrians arriving mainly from Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, areas directly affected by the reciprocal strikes. According to field data, most individuals returned as part of families, while some women and children preceded their husbands, who intend to follow later.
Interviews conducted at the border indicate that about half of the returnees plan to stay permanently despite limited access to housing, livelihoods, and services, while others intend to remain temporarily. The majority of returnees rely on staying with relatives or in rented housing, and the movement also included smaller numbers of Lebanese and Syrian Palestinians within mixed families.
As Eid al-Fitr approached, an increase in the return of men was recorded, with some returning to visit their families while others joined relatives who had gone before them, amid differing intentions between permanent settlement and returning to Lebanon for work.
Urgent needs
The data indicate that escalating violence was the main driver of return, although many had already been considering it. The returnees’ basic needs are food, shelter, healthcare, livelihoods, and civil documentation.
In this context, the United Nations expanded its operations at the border in cooperation with its partners, providing legal support to more than 468 families to obtain official documents, supplying water to about 30,000 people during crossing, and distributing relief items, including blankets and dignity kits, to more than 600 of the most vulnerable.
Transport services also helped more than 3,550 people reach their destinations, alongside infrastructure improvements such as solar-powered lighting to enhance safety. Humanitarian partners also provided support including food, water, healthcare, and child-specific supplies.
Adaptation challenges
Away from the border areas, returning families face major challenges in adapting amid deteriorating economic conditions, public services, and security inside Syria. In the absence of an effective role by the new Syrian transitional government in managing the return file, United Nations community centers are playing a pivotal role by assessing returnees’ needs and registering them for assistance.
These efforts include providing psychological support and referrals to specialized services such as legal protection, healthcare, and education, in addition to psychosocial support programs that include case management and awareness sessions to help individuals cope with trauma and stress.
Outreach teams and volunteers are helping expand the scope of services within host communities. So far, more than 20,000 returnees have been supported in several governorates, according to the United Nations, including Aleppo, Raqqa, Daraa, Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, Idlib, and Quneitra, while the main destinations for returnees are concentrated in Aleppo, Raqqa, Rural Damascus, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, and Homs, with the response continuing in other areas such as Hasakah and Tartous.
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