Syrian soldiers inspect papers of Syrian refugees returning from Lebanon at the Zamrani crossing, in the countryside of Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 15, 2018. Around 835 Syrian refugees returned to their homeland Monday from different areas in Lebanon including Tripoli and Nabatieh. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
BEIRUT, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Around 835 Syrian refugees returned to their homeland Monday from different areas in Lebanon including Tripoli and Nabatieh.
"Refugees were transported with over 15 buses while cars from the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) escorted them to the borders based on the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees," a source at LRC told Xinhua.
Refugees said that they returned home voluntarily to register their kids in Syrian schools since the situation in Syria has become stable.
"We are very happy to be returning to our homeland especially that the security situation has improved," Hassan Al Khatib, a Syrian refugee told Xinhua.
Another refugee called on other refugees to return back home to be able to reconstruct their houses and start a new life there.
Vehicles transporting Syrian refugees from Lebanon are seen at the Zamrani crossing, in the countryside of Damascus, Syria, on Oct. 15, 2018. Around 835 Syrian refugees returned to their homeland Monday from different areas in Lebanon including Tripoli and Nabatieh. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
The National News Agency quoted Mustafa Mansour, head of the association of Syrian workers, as saying that the association is holding continuous meetings with refugees from all over Lebanon to facilitate their return to Syria.
More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon. The government estimated the true number of Syrians in the country to be 1.5 million.
To facilitate the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Russia drafted a strategy for this purpose and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.
The strategy aims at securing the return of 890,000 refugees to Syria.
