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The agency says the tally follows renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the war and covers a period from March 2 to March 27.

The vast majority – nearly 180,000 – were Syrians returning to their war-battered country, in addition to more than 28,000 Lebanese.

“Most are people fleeing the intense Israeli bombardments. They arrive exhausted, traumatized and with very, very few belongings,” UNHCR’s representative in Syria, Aseer Al-Madaien, told a U.N. briefing in Geneva by video from Damascus.

The agency has already helped more than 3 million people displaced both within Syria and abroad who’ve returned home following the fall of President Bashar Assad in December 2024.

Unlike the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, when Lebanese could flee across the border without visas, the current Syrian government has restricted the entry of Lebanese unless they have residency in Syria, a Syrian spouse or parent, or other exceptional circumstances.