The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which controls northeastern Syria, announced that the number of returnees from Lebanon to areas under its control has reached 20,000 Syrians and Lebanese.
AANES stated today, Tuesday, October 22, that 19,996 Syrians and Lebanese have arrived in northeastern Syria, including 86 individuals of Lebanese nationality.
It added that the number of male displaced persons who have entered its controlled areas so far has reached 7,320, in addition to 6,162 women and 6,400 children.
Returnees are heading to their homes or to relatives in northeastern Syria. For those without a place to go, AANES has designated centers to accommodate them.
On September 29, AANES, the political umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reported that it is coordinating with its representatives in Lebanon “to facilitate the return process for displaced persons, manage their numbers, create lists of their names, and verify their identities.”
On the same day, AANES formed what it called a “crisis cell” to manage the file of new displaced persons from Lebanon and set up several camps to receive them until they can be transported to their desired destinations.
The SDF has imposed the requirement of having a local sponsor for individuals entering the areas under its control from outside these areas for years; it remains unclear whether this decision applies to the new arrivals.
There has been a movement of Syrians and Lebanese crossing into Syrian territory from the Lebanese-Syrian border following the Israeli military escalation in Lebanon.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that the number of displaced persons from Lebanon to Syria reached approximately 421,000 as of October 20.
For its part, the Russian news agency “Novosti” reported on Monday, October 21, citing a source in the Syrian Immigration and Passport Department, that the number of displaced individuals from Lebanon to Syria reached 395,485 people, including 124,450 Lebanese displaced persons and 271,035 Syrians, from September 22 to October 18.
Lebanon shares six land crossings with Syria and is the only country with a land border with Lebanon, aside from the borders with occupied Palestine, which are tense due to the Israeli escalation and have no crossings for citizen entry and exit.
The waves of displacement to Syria coincide with ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the crossings, with the latest attack targeting an area near the Masnaa crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border today, Tuesday.
The Masnaa crossing was previously targeted by Israeli airstrikes on October 4, leading to the closure of the road in both directions.