700,000 Syrians return from Lebanon, Beirut says

Lebanon's social affairs minister said Monday that about 700,000 Syrians have returned home from Lebanon, calling it proof of "the success of coordination between the two countries."

Hanine el-Sayyed made the claim at a joint news conference in Damascus with her Syrian counterpart, Hind Kabaouat, after talks on refugee returns, child protection and social welfare.

"Rebuilding Syria is not just about repairing what was destroyed," she said. "It means protecting people, restoring the social fabric and rebuilding confidence in the future." She called for closer cooperation between the two ministries and for the revival of a social cooperation agreement signed in 2000.

Kabaouat, quoted by Syria's state news agency SANA, said the two countries are entering "a new phase" built on "mutual respect, good neighborliness and common interests." She thanked Lebanon for hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian families in recent years and said child protection is "a shared responsibility": "A child belongs in school, not in the labor market." She also said Syria wants to draw on Lebanon's experience, notably its cash-assistance programs, to build a national social protection system.

The 700,000 figure is not new. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cited it last month in Parliament, saying the government had "facilitated and organized" the returns.

UN data point to a slightly lower number. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, as reported by L'Orient-Le Jour in mid-September, more than 672,000 Syrians known to the agency have returned to Syria since January 1, 2025. 

That count includes people whose return was confirmed and those removed from the registers after a long absence or loss of contact. Of the total, 588,819 (88 percent) were spontaneous returns, and 83,880 were directly assisted by UNHCR under the voluntary return program run with Lebanese authorities.