Hundreds of Syrian refugees head home as anti-refugee sentiment surges in Lebanon

By FADI TAWIL and KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

ARSAL, Lebanon (AP) — More than 300 Syrians refugees are heading back home from northeastern Lebanon to an uncertain future in Syria as anti-refugee sentiment is surging in crisis-hit Lebanon. In the northeastern town of Arsal, Syrian refugees piled their belongings onto the back of trucks and cars on Tuesday as Lebanese security officers collected their U.N. refugee agency cards and other paperwork before clearing them to leave. Lebanon, in the throes of a severe financial crisis since 2019, hosts nearly 780,000 registered Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands more who are unregistered. It’s the world’s highest refugee population per capita. Leading Lebanese political parties have become increasingly vocal in recent months, demanding the Syrian refugees go back.