Hundreds of Syrian refugees leave Lebanon amid concerns

Lugging suitcases, power generators, fridges and chickens, more than 700 Syrian refugees who were living in Lebanon gathered from early morning in a desolate northeastern border zone.

The refugees were returning to Syria on Wednesday under a voluntary programme coordinated by Lebanon’s General Security, the agency responsible for safeguarding the country’s borders. {read_more_news} The programme has raised concerns from rights groups that the scheme may involve elements of coercion, but Lebanese authorities have said the repatriations are voluntary.

But while front lines in Syria’s 11-year war are mostly calm, the United Nations says flare-ups in violence and the risk of detention make it unsafe for large-scale