UN report: Lifting US sanctions on Syria could spur refugee return

The head of the UN refugee agency in Lebanon said on Thursday that the United States' move to lift comprehensive sanctions on Syria could encourage more refugees to return to their country.

The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to permanently lift the so-called Caesar Act sanctions, after President Donald Trump's administration temporarily lifted the sanctions by executive order.

Lawmakers imposed broad Caesar Act sanctions on Syria in 2019 to punish al-Assad for human rights abuses during the country's civil war.

The vote came as part of the passage of the nation's annual defense spending bill. Trump is expected to sign the final repeal on Thursday.

About 400,000 Syrian refugees have returned from Lebanon since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war, said UNHCR representative in Lebanon, Carolina Lindholm Billing, with about 1 million remaining in the country./CNA 

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