Beirut: Lebanon has announced that more than 320,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their homeland since the initiation of an organized return program in July. This was stated by Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Haneen El Sayyed on Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the organized return is part of a government plan started in early July. This initiative is in collaboration with the Lebanese government, the General Security Directorate, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The minister highlighted that the names of the returning refugees were removed from UNHCR records with the cooperation of the Lebanese General Security.

The minister further mentioned that over 110,000 displaced Syrians have expressed their desire to return, potentially increasing the number of returnees to about half a million by the end of the year. This initiative follows a multi-phase plan announced by the Lebanese government in June to facilitate the return of Syrians.

Current Lebanese estimates suggest there are approximately 1.8 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with about 880,000 registered with UNHCR. Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has expressed optimism that most Syrians residing abroad will return to Syria within the next two years.