DAMASCUS, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of Syrians returned from Lebanon to Syria has increased 30 percent over the past two months in comparison with last year, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said Thursday.
Syria's Interior Minister Muhammad al-Sha'ar said the increased rate in the return was a result of the stability and peace that have recently been achieved as well as the "relief the Syrian people have felt following the victories of the Syrian army."
This comes as the two batches of Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon this month amid calls from the government.
Earlier in July, the Syrian Foreign Ministry called on all Syrians who left the country to return home, urging the International organizations to shoulder their responsibilities in facilitating the return of people to Syria.
Throughout the seven-year war in Syria, millions of Syrians fled to nearby countries and Europe.
In 2016, among an estimated pre-war population of 22 million, the UN identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and around 5 million are refugees outside Syria.
Lebanon, the small neighboring country, has reeled under the pressure of hosting over 1 million Syrian refugees, with its officials repeatedly urging for returning of the Syrians.
