(MENAFN) Saying it is not encouraging Syrian refugees to return home, Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister has ordered a freeze on the renewal of residency permits for the staff of the United Nations refugee agency.
Gibran Bassil said in a statement from his office Friday that UNHCR is scaring Syrian refugees in Lebanon from returning by asking them about compulsory military service, security conditions and whether they have a place to live.
Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees, or about a quarter of the country's population.
Bassil's statement came amid reports that some 3,000 Syrians are getting ready to head back home later this month.
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