BEIRUT, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) — An official of the World Food Program (WFP) urged on Friday the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to their homeland in 2020, the National News Agency reported. Abdallah al-Wardat, WFP Lebanon Country Director, said “the return of Syrian refugees to their country has become very urgent and it should definitely take place in the year of 2020,” during a meeting with a delegation from Lebanon Uprise, an association helps for Syrian refugees’ return. “The WFP is currently helping 4.2 million citizens in Syria, and 80 percent of Syrian territories are secure now,” al-Wardat said. He also added that the WFP has increased its support for the most vulnerable Lebanese, which means that 85,000 Lebanese citizens receive help through e-food card offered by the WFP to secure their food needs.

More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Lebanon, while the Lebanese government estimated the exact number of Syrians in the country at 1.5 million. The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country’s economy and infrastructure, prompting Lebanese officials to urge the international community for support in guaranteeing the return of refugees. Lebanese President Michel Aoun noted in Nov. that around 390,000 Syrians had returned to their homeland from Lebanon.