Syrian government calls for refugees to return home

BEIRUT – The Syrian government on Tuesday urged refugees to return home, claiming they managed to clear large areas of "terrorists"

growing government confidence after more than seven years of war. While officials call on Syrians abroad to return during television appearances and interviews, this is the first official call broadcast on the official media

Syrian government forces have recently resumed vast areas near the capital, Damascus. , and lead a new offensive in the south that, according to UN officials, has displaced more than 270,000 people.

The UN Security Council has scheduled closed consultations on the humanitarian situation Thursday The government currently controls more than 61% of Syria, up from 17% in early 2017, according to the report. 39: Syrian Observatory of Human Rights based in Britain, which closely monitors the conflict. 19659004] The government calls all rebels "terrorists".

More than 5.6 million Syrians have fled the country. Ministry of Foreign Affairs says many IDPs have already returned home, urging refugees to do so

Many Syrians can not return because their homes have been destroyed or because they fear conscription military or retaliation by government forces. Also on Tuesday, a senior UN official visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus that government forces resumed in May. The Yarmouk camp, a built-up residential area that once housed tens of thousands of Palestinians and Syrians, has been held by Islamic State groups and other insurgents for years, and has experienced violent fights.