After more than a decade of war, Syria is witnessing significant refugee and internal displacement returns – even as renewed hostilities in parts of the country force others to flee once again.

Nearly 1.4 million refugees have returned from neighbouring countries since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Almost two million internally displaced Syrians have also headed home to their places of origin.

But fresh fighting in Aleppo and the northeast in recent weeks has triggered new displacement, while harsh winter conditions are compounding humanitarian needs.

To explain what’s driving these movements and how UN agencies are responding on the ground, UN News’s Nancy Sarkis has been speaking to Céline Schmitt, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency in Syria: