‘Lebanon wanted us gone ... it was a risk to leave’ − Syrian refugees who fled Israeli bombs face hostility and uncertainty on return

CHENNAI: The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought a cautious sense of relief to a Lebanese population battered by a yearlong conflict, not least the more than 1 million people displaced during the escalation of violence between September and November 2024.

But for the 1.5 million Syrian refugees already in Lebanon – many of whom lived in precarious conditions, having earlier fled civil war in their homeland – the pause in hostilities, announced on Nov. 27, 2024, is far from a straightforward reprieve.

Rather, it introduces new uncertainties. Syrians who temporarily fled Lebanon or were displaced within its borders now face growing hostility and restrictive policies regarding their return.

As Israel’s bombing of Lebanon intensified, 335,000 Syrian refugees made a painful choice: to temporarily return to civil war-torn Syria, the very place they had originally fled.

At the Institute for Migration Studies at the Lebanese American University, we have been monitoring the plight of Syrian refugees closely and have interviewed those who have fled, as well as humanitarian and law experts – all of whom requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the refugee process in Lebanon.

Most of these refugees we spoke to hoped to return to Lebanon once conditions stabilized. M.H., a Syrian refugee speaking from inside Syria, told me in October: “We needed to make this move. It was temporary, but we had no choice. It is a risk to be here in Syria, of course. But it was also a direct threat on our lives to remain in Lebanon.”

In a nod to what I refer to as the “cyclical” nature of refuge, M.H., whose name I withhold to protect his identity, added: “We were forcibly displaced from Syria to Lebanon, but then forcibly displaced from Lebanon back to Syria – and we cannot stay in Syria under the current conditions.”

Lebanon’s border with Syria has long seen crossings by families looking to flee decades of violence.

Many of those who fled Syria did so at the onset of civil war in 2011, fearing various forms of persecution and forced conscription.

With a 60-day ceasefire in place, many Syrian refugees who fled back to their homeland hope now to reenter Lebanon, where they had established lives despite enduring extreme hardship.

While many have succeeded at reentering Lebanon since the ceasefire was announced, there remains concern over the fate of others who sought temporary refuge in Syria. International law experts I spoke to as part of my research also spoke of concerns over their legal status. One explained: “Temporary returns to one’s country of origin may risk jeopardizing refugee status under international law because, unfortunately, this is subject to varying interpretations.”

This is because of the “cessation clause” of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which allows for the loss of refugee status under specific conditions, including the refugee’s “re-establishment in his or her country of origin.”

While the convention acknowledges the possibility of cessation, it emphasizes the voluntary nature of such movements as a critical criterion.

And while brief returns are not intended to trigger cessation clauses, varying interpretations of “reestablishment” leave many refugees in a vulnerable position.

Lebanon is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, meaning the country is not legally bound by the convention’s provisions. However, Lebanon still engages with these norms indirectly, often citing international frameworks selectively to justify its policies.

And there are concerns that Lebanon may use the cessation clause principles to support return-oriented policies, making it difficult for fleeing Syrians to return across the border to Lebanon.

As of early December 2024, the Lebanese government has not officially commented on the reentry of Syrian refugees who temporarily returned to Syria during the conflict. But even before the latest refugee crisis, there were reports that Lebanese authorities had been implementing measures effectively preventing Syrians from entering Lebanon. And the crisis comes against a backdrop in Lebanon in which politicians have advocated for the return of Syrians to their homeland.