Lebanon says 172,046 Syrian refugees return to homeland from Lebanon

BEIRUT, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese authorities said on Wednesday that the number of refugees who have returned to their homeland from Lebanon had reached 172,046 by March 19.

Lebanon "will continue working on the voluntary return of Syrian refugees in coordination with Syrian authorities ... including those who have entered Lebanon in an illegal way," the directorate of the Lebanese General Security said on its website.

Meanwhile, Abbas Ibrahim, General Security chief, told the independent online newspaper Elnashra that the Syrian authorities have approved the list of Syrian refugees who wish to return.

To facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, Russia drafted a strategy and presented it to the Lebanese authorities.

The strategy, drafted by the Russian Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, came after a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump last year.

The strategy aims at securing the return of 890,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon.