By the Associated Press
MASNAA, Lebanon — Hundreds of Syrian refugees have started crossing the border from Lebanon — the latest group to return to Syria from its western neighbor.
Members of the Lebanese general security organise Syrian refugees gathered to cross into Syria at the Lebanese border crossing point of Masnaa, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Saturday, July 28, 2018. About a thousand Syrian refugees are expected to make the crossing on Saturday, after having requested permission from the Lebanese and Syrian governments. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein/Manila Bulletin)
Three buses carrying scores of people crossed the border into Syria on Saturday afternoon and more than 30 other buses are in Lebanon to take more refugees later in the day.
Russia has put forward an initiative to return hundreds of thousands of refugees to Syria and hundreds of Syrians have returned to Syria from Lebanon over the past weeks.
Many have returned from the northeastern Lebanese town of Arsal. Most of those heading home Saturday were coming from the southern Lebanese village of Chebaa.
Lebanon is home to some 1 million Syrian refugees.
The Russian initiative was proposed following the summit in Helsinki between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.