Syrians Fleeing Lebanon War Face Housing Crisis at Home

An increasing number of Syrians residing in Lebanon have returned in recent days alongside escalating Israeli bombardment across wide areas of Lebanon, including the southern suburbs of Beirut. Many of the returnees are going back to damaged homes that require renovation work, or buildings that have been completely destroyed and require rebuilding.

These developments coincide with direct effects of the regional war on Syria itself, as Iranian missiles and drones intercepted by Israel in Syrian airspace caused damage to residential buildings in various governorates.

The transitional government’s response to returnees

Deputy Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Ahmad Aqziz told The Syria Report that, as of March 11, the war in Lebanon pushed about 90,000 Syrians in Lebanon to return suddenly to Syria in order to escape the widening scope of military operations. He added that the transitional government has not yet established any shelters designated for receiving returnees because “most returnees preferred to head directly to their original areas.”

Mr Aqziz said they are providing initial relief to returnees while they wait at border crossings, and securing transport for people who wish to return to distant areas inside Syria but do not have a way to get there, such as areas in the Aleppo countryside or the eastern regions.

The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management has formed an operations room for rapid response, which coordinates between the government bodies concerned with this issue, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, in addition to coordination with international organisations, he added. The aim is to organise the response to returnees and secure their basic needs during their border crossing and in the early stages of their return.

Patterns of return

Most returnees from Lebanon entered Syria through three main border crossings: the Jdeidet Yabous crossing in the Damascus countryside, the Jousieh crossing in the Homs countryside near Al-Qusayr, and the Arida crossing in the Tartous governorate, according to data by the General Authority for Borders and Customs. These crossings witnessed clear congestion during the first days of the escalation in Lebanon, with increasing numbers of Syrians deciding to return quickly for fear of the war expanding.

A large number returned to the Qalamoun region and the Damascus countryside, in addition to areas in Homs governorate and its countryside, while others are heading to more distant areas such as the Aleppo countryside or the eastern governorates. This geographical distribution leads to differences in the needs of returnees, particularly regarding housing and the possibility of returning to their original homes.

Temporary housing options and damage to homes

This mass return movement is taking place under complex living conditions, as a large number of returnees originate from areas within Syria that experienced widespread destruction during the years of war since 2011. Many of them return only to find damaged homes that require renovation work, or buildings that have been completely destroyed and require rebuilding. This forces some returnees either to stay in those damaged homes or to temporarily rely on relatives or rental housing until they are able to repair their homes.

According to Mr Aqziz, around 80 percent of returnees preferred to return to their original areas and stay in their homes, some of which are partially damaged. In contrast, around 20 per cent of returnees chose to stay temporarily with relatives or rent homes until they are able to repair their houses.

The ability of returnees to repair their homes remains limited in many cases due to the high cost of building materials and weak financial resources after years of displacement. Some may therefore rely on assistance from international or local organisations, whether in the form of materials for repairing homes or limited cash support to help fix partial damage to housing.

Some returnees also face additional difficulties related to the absence of basic services in their areas, such as electricity, water, and sewage networks, factors that affect their ability to settle in those areas. In some cases, returnees choose to remain temporarily in areas close to their original homes until housing conditions and services improve.

Housing damage due to falling missile debris

Iranian missiles and drones intercepted by Israel in Syrian airspace caused some of them or their fragments to fall onto residential areas in Syria, leading to direct damage to some buildings and casualties. 

In the city of Suweida, a missile that fell on a residential building in early March destroyed the ground floors and killed five people, including two children. In the town of Ain Terma in the East Ghouta area of Rural Damascus, falling missile fragments on March 1 completely destroyed a house and caused four injuries, in addition to damage to some neighbouring homes. In the Daraa governorate, some houses sustained varying levels of damage, including houses in the city of Jasim that were damaged when a drone fell and exploded directly above one of them, leading to destruction and injuries, in addition to damaging surrounding homes. Other missiles also fell in open agricultural areas, including land located between the towns of Kafr Zita and Al-Latamneh in the Hama countryside, as well as in the town of Uqayribat.