ISTANBUL

The UN refugee chief on Thursday announced that more than 2 million Syrians have returned home since December.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December—a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi wrote on X.

Stressing that he is on his way from Lebanon to Syria for World Refugee Day, Grandi reiterated the need for a "political solution" in Syria.

"This proves that we need political solutions—not another wave of instability and displacement," he noted.

After years of suffering and hardship in refugee camps, thousands of Syrian civilians began to return to their home country as peace and security continued to prevail in Syria following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Millions of Syrians have fled the country to neighboring states to seek safety amid mass destruction and an aggravating humanitarian crisis under Assad.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.