Hasbani: Refugees should consider safe return to Syria

Syrian refugees should “start thinking about how they can safely return back home,” Lebanon’s deputy prime minister, Ghassan Hasbani, has told BBC Hardtalk.

The refugees were welcomed by Lebanon at the beginning because of the humanitarian situation they were in, said Mr Hasbani, but the number of people has increased significantly and it has placed a “huge burden” on the

country’s infrastructure, healthcare system and electricity.

The length of the Syrian crisis is causing host and donor fatigue and resentment in parts of Lebanese society, he explained.

More than a million Syrians are officially registered as refugees in Lebanon - a country that has five million citizens - but the real number is believed to be higher.

Watch the full interview on Monday 24 July 2017 on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel or watch again after broadcast on BBC iPlayer (UK only).