Syrian refugees face tough decision on returning home – DW – 06/20/2025
Sara Hteit
06/20/2025
June 20, 2025
Over 14 million Syrian refugees fled their homeland during the country's civil war. Since the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last year, over a million have started to return home. But for many Syrians living abroad it remains a difficult decision.
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DW
5 hours ago
- DW
Syrian refugees face tough decision on returning home – DW – 06/20/2025
Sara Hteit 06/20/2025 June 20, 2025 Over 14 million Syrian refugees fled their homeland during the country's civil war. Since the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last year, over a million have started to return home. But for many Syrians living abroad it remains a difficult decision.
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
Syrians Watch Iran-Israel Crossfire As Government Stays Silent
For days, Syrians have watched as Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the skies over their territory, but the new government in Damascus has so far remained officially silent on the unprecedented conflict. Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad's biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated armed groups throughout the 14-year Syrian civil war. Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December, when the fall of Assad at the hands of an Islamist-led coalition sparked a wave of Israeli air strikes on military targets. But despite both countries looming large in Syrian affairs over the years, Damascus -- and everyday Syrians -- appear eager to keep the current crisis at arm's length. "From my balcony at night, I watch the missiles going towards Israel and the anti-missile systems, and I observe the explosions in the sky," said surgeon Mohammed Khayr al-Jirudi. "The people are fed up with everything related to killing and destruction, we've had enough. Therefore, we are currently in the position of spectators to both sides, and will not gloat over either of them." On Friday, Israel launched an unprecedented campaign against Iran, saying it aimed to stop the country from obtaining the nuclear bomb -- an ambition Tehran denies. Iran has responded with barrages of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli cities, with the exchanges of fire sparking fears of regional spillover. Unlike most Arab countries, which issued strong condemnations of Israel's strikes, Syria's new government has not commented on the war, potentially signalling a shift in the country's regional posture. "It is very difficult for us to take a stand," Jirudi said, with many war-weary Syrians seeming to share the government's reluctance. Sitting with his wife in Damascus' famous Rawda cafe, 42-year-old actor Ahmad Malas said he hoped to "be rid of both the Iranian and Israeli regimes, as they are both dictatorial systems (and) Syrian people have been paying the price for their actions". However, he added, "I have an emotional connection with the Iranian people, and with the Palestinian people, as their cause has been ours for a long time". Iran's support for Assad following his violent repression of peaceful protests in 2011 created strong animosity towards Tehran among many Syrians. Thousands of Iranians left Syria after the fall of Assad, and Tehran's embassy was subjected to looting and vandalism. The walls surrounding the embassy in Damascus still bear the spray-painted slogans "curse Iran" and "free Iran". Since becoming Syria's interim president, former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly criticised Iran's role in his country during the civil war, stating that restoring relations with Tehran will require respect for Syria's "sovereignty" and "non-interference" in its affairs. Iran has said it is "not in a hurry" to establish ties with the new Syrian authorities. Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syria since Assad's fall, saying it aimed to stop advanced weapons from reaching the new rulers, whom it considers jihadists. Israeli troops in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights have also regularly carried out ground incursions, condemned by Damascus. Syria admitted to holding indirect talks with Israel seeking de-escalation, and the United States has called for it to normalise ties with its southern neighbour. Amid the breaches of Syria's airspace, at least one civilian has been killed and several others injured by fallen debris from intercepted projectiles. The Syrian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the war. "Damascus adheres to a policy of neutrality... It tries to completely distance itself from the war and any mention of it, because Syria has no interest in getting involved," said Bassam al-Suleiman, a political analyst close to the new authorities. As the government tries to kickstart post-war economic recovery and reconstruction, Syria's primary battle is "internal", according to Suleiman. He added that while "both Israel and Iran are a source of danger, we have no stake in this war", which he said Syria should "avoid". From a rooftop nightclub overlooking Damascus, a 27-year-old doctor who gave her name as Sarah watched the flash of missiles in the sky. "We try to forget the atmosphere of war by spending time here with friends," she said. "However, I still fear that some effects of the war will reach us." Iran's support for Bashar al-Assad created strong animosity towards Tehran among many Syrians AFP Thousands of Iranians left Syria after the fall of Assad, and Tehran's embassy was subjected to looting and vandalism AFP
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
UN Refugee Agency Says Will Shed 3,500 Jobs Due To Funding Cuts
The UN refugee agency said Monday it will cut 3,500 staff jobs -- slashing nearly a third of its workforce costs -- due to a funding shortfall, and reduce the scale of its help worldwide. UNHCR carried out a review of its activities, expenditure, staffing and structures following a plunge in humanitarian funding. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been among a host of UN and private aid agencies badly hit by funding cuts by the United States. The United States -- which was by far UNHCR's biggest donor -- has slashed its foreign aid under a radical spending review ordered by US President Donald Trump. Other countries have also cut humanitarian spending. Washington previously made up more than 40 percent of UNHCR contributions received -- $2 billion per year, the agency's chief Filippo Grandi told the UN Security Council in April. "In light of difficult financial realities, UNHCR is compelled to reduce the overall scale of its operations," Grandi said in Monday's statement. He added that UNHCR would focus "on activities that have the greatest impact for refugees" while streamlining its Geneva headquarters and regional offices. The agency said it had had to close or downsize offices worldwide and implement a nearly 50-percent cut in senior positions in Geneva and at the regional HQs. "In total, approximately 3,500 staff positions will be discontinued," the statement said. Additionally, hundreds of temporary workers have had to leave the organisation due to the funding shortfall. "Overall, UNHCR estimates a global reduction in staffing costs of around 30 percent," the agency said. It said that programmes ranging from financial aid to vulnerable families, health, education, and water and sanitation had already been affected by cuts. UNHCR said it was working with other organisations and refugee-hosting countries to try to mitigate the impact on refugees. UNHCR estimates that it will end 2025 with available funding at about the same level as a decade ago -- despite the number of people forced to flee their homes having nearly doubled over the same period to more than 122 million. "Even as we face painful cuts and lose so many dedicated colleagues, our commitment to refugees remains unshakeable," said Grandi. "Although resources are scarcer and our capacity to deliver is reduced, we will continue to work hard to respond to emergencies, protect the rights of refugees, and pursue solutions -- including returning home, as nearly two million Syrians have done since December." Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, and ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024. Sudan is now the world's largest forced displacement situation, with its 14.3 million refugees and internally displaced people overtaking Syria (13.5 million), followed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million). At the end of 2024, one in 67 people worldwide were forcibly displaced, UNHCR said Thursday.
