U.N. says 850,000 back in Syria after fleeing Assad’s rule

Since the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in December, about 850,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from neighboring countries and the figure could reach 1 million in the coming weeks, a top official with the U.N. refugee agency said Monday.

- By Omar SANADIKI

IN THE last few days, thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have headed back over the border to their homeland. Above, Syrian refugees in Lebanon in 2024.

According to Kelly T. Clements, deputy high commissioner of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, about 17 million people who were internally displaced during the 14-year-old conflict have returned to their communities as the interim central government now controls large parts of Syria.