UN refugee chief calls for more help for Syria as refugees begin to return en masse

The United Nations refugee chief says some 200,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries since the government of Bashar Assad was overthrown last month. The influx comes after an estimated 300,000 refugees returned from Lebanon late last year while it was under bombardment during the Israel-Hezbollah war. Many more who had fled during the country’s nearly 14-year uprising-turned-civil war are thinking about going back soon. However, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi cautioned during a visit to Damascus during which he met with Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, that many of the returnees may not stay unless living conditions in the country improve.