Syria Shelters Lebanese Refugees, Leaving Syrian Returnees on their Own

The movement of displacement from Lebanon to Syria has intensified since late September, as Israeli military operations against Lebanon have escalated. Syrian media has labelled Syrians now entering Syria as “returnees” while Lebanese displaced people are referred to as “arrivals.” In a statement to The Syria Report, UNHCR said that it “does consider Lebanese nationals fleeing the country as refugees and should be considered eligible to apply for refugee status.” 

The number of displaced individuals, both Syrian and Lebanese, has reached 425,000 according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on October 20. Meanwhile, official Syrian figures indicate that by October 18, the number of people displaced to Syria via official crossings had reached 397,000, including 281,000 Syrians and 115,000 Lebanese. Among them were many Palestinian-Syrians and holders of Lebanese residency.

Louay Kharitah, the Minister of Local Administration and Environment, confirmed on October 14 to the official Tishreen newspaper the opening of 20 shelters, 16 of which have already started receiving displaced people. Based on available information, the Syrian authorities have not designated shelters for returning Syrians but allocated most of them to Lebanese refugees. The minister, along with other Syrian officials, pointed out that Syrian returnees are being hosted by their relatives.

By October 18, according to official Syrian figures, which rely solely on the count of those returning through legal border crossings, the majority of Syrians returning from Lebanon entered via the Jdeidet Yabous-Masnaa crossing, totalling 163,000, while 76,000 returned through other official crossings in the Homs Governorate. There are several other legal crossings between Syria and Lebanon, Dabousieh, Joussieh, Talkalakh, and Al-Arida. However, dozens of illegal crossings stretch along the border, mostly rough, mountainous routes often used for smuggling goods and people between the two sides.

Lebanese refugees

From late September to mid-October, around 115,000 Lebanese have arrived in Syria, with 66,000 of them crossing through the official border points between Lebanon and Homs governorate. The main destinations for Lebanese refugees have been the rural areas of Damascus and Homs. Meanwhile, UNHCR reported on October 15 that 11,000 Lebanese had left Syria for Iraq.

The Lebanese refugees have received international attention concerning accommodation and shelter. On its official website, the UNHCR stated on October 15 that there are 25 centres set up to host Lebanese refugees across the governorates of Damascus and its countryside, Homs, Hama, Idlib, Tartous, and Lattakia, with a total capacity of 10,000 people. It is unclear whether these 25 centres are the same ones mentioned by the Minister of Local Administration and Environment.

The minister noted that many of the refugees have been accommodated in rented apartments and hotel rooms, some of which were provided for free, through coordinated efforts between his ministry and the Ministry of Tourism. There have also been community initiatives to accommodate the refugees, including opening the doors of two Christian monasteries in Homs.

In rural Damascus, the Harjalleh shelter hosted around 300 arriving families, approximately 1,000 people on October 14. The official Al-Baath newspaper reported, quoting the secretary of the subcommittee for relief  affiliated with Homs Governorate, that the total number of Lebanese refugees to the province until October 21 had reached around 78,000, alongside about 84,000 returning Syrians. The official added that 8,000 Lebanese families who arrived in Homs were distributed across rural areas and some neighbourhoods of the city, most of them residing in the homes of their relatives or in houses that were provided and donated to them. Some have rented homes by choice. The official also noted that there are five government shelter centres in the province, ready to provide services and accommodate around 1,200 people under the management of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, but they remain vacant because “the local community has accommodated all the families in their homes or in donated houses.” He added that there are also two shelter centres in the Rabla area in the countryside of Qusayr, namely the Mar Elias Centre and the Virgin Mary Church, which are currently housing 70 families.

According to the semi-official newspaper Al-Watan, as of October 14, 1,783 families had been displaced to Lattakia Governorate, without specifying whether they were returnees or refugees. Of these, 574 families were accommodated in temporary “hosting” shelters set up in areas such as Al-Sheer, worker and farmer chalets in Al-Basit beach, Al-Nakheel beach, officer chalets, and the campus of Lattakia University. However, Al-Watan suggests they were Lebanese families, not Syrians. Meanwhile, 75 Lebanese families stayed with relatives in the local community and 248 families rented apartments. 

Syrian Returnees

While official efforts by the Syrian state have focused on opening shelters for Lebanese refugees, it appears that the state has left the care of returning Syrians to local communities. The main destination for returning Syrians has been the Rural Damascus governorate, followed by Homs, and then other governorates. Official statements indicate that returnees either went back to their homes in areas under the control of the Damascus government if they were undamaged, stayed with relatives, or rented private accommodation. The official media did not mention any support in terms of shelter and housing for returning Syrians. The Syrian government did not allocate any of the 20 shelters, prepared to address the displacement crisis from Lebanon, to returning Syrians. Instead, there was limited mention of providing some relief, health aid, and legal support upon their arrival at the border crossings, including a temporary exemption from the requirement to exchange USD 100 at the official rate, which is imposed on all Syrians returning to Syria by air, sea, or land.

The Directorate of Social Affairs in Rural Damascus, affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, announced in Tishreen newspaper efforts to bring Syrians who “were forced to leave Syria for Lebanon years ago due to the war on terrorism,” back to their towns and homes, without explaining what these efforts entail. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Syrian National Reconciliation Commission, called for assistance for returning Syrians who “fled Syria 13 years ago with nothing, and have now returned with nothing as well.”

Many officials and high-ranking employees have highlighted the limited local resources, urging the need for increased foreign aid to meet relief needs and eventually facilitate reconstruction, in response to the displacement crisis. Prime Minister Mohammad Jalali called on October 13,on Syrian officials to show flexibility towards projects proposed by relief and humanitarian organisations, and urged coordination between public bodies to ease and implement projects related to relief and shelter. 

Some non-governmental organisations have provided housing support for returning Syrians. For example, the chairwoman of the Syrian Social Development Association in Homs told Tishreen that the association housed 270 returning Syrian families and 158 displaced Lebanese families in vacant homes offered by the local community, without specifying the condition, locations, or ownership of these homes. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Al-Ghadeer Association mentioned that the village of Al-Mukhtariya in rural Homs provided 200 homes for Lebanese refugees and returning Syrians. However, there is little detail about these houses, their ownership, or the whereabouts of their owners.

Most of the returnees to Daraa have gone back to their homes, although official media reports indicate that the majority of these houses are not fit for habitation. Some returnees stayed as guests with relatives or were hosted by local communities. The secretary of the subcommittee for relief in Suweida told Al-Watan that 11 displaced families were accommodated by their relatives or extended family in the governorate, suggesting they were returning families.

Many returnees are struggling to secure housing due to high rental prices and a shortage of available properties, driven by high demand. Even homeowners who have returned to their areas after a long absence found that many of their houses were uninhabitable, as they had been left vacant, looted, or damaged, and now require renovation.

Returnees to Deir-ez-Zor had to sleep in parks and garages in Homs and Hama for several days due to the high cost of transportation and their inability to travel to Deir-ez-Zor, with no assistance from official authorities. The deputy governor of Deir-ez-Zor, speaking to Tishreen on October 17, mentioned the return of 1,200 Syrian families from Lebanon, without providing any details about their accommodation or housing.

Some returnees have also headed to opposition-held areas in the northwest and AANES regions in the northeast. The AANES documented, by October 21, the return of 19,941 people from Lebanon, who went to their villages or designated shelters without providing further details.