Omar al-Saedi, 58, does not care for the increasing demands on Syrian refugees in Lebanon’s southern village of Shebaa to return to their hometown of Beit Jin. The calls have increased after the regime recaptured the southwestern town. “Nothing is encouraging us to return,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “In fact, my situation will get worse” because of a lack of family support there, he added. He explained that he was in dire need of medicine for him, his wife and two elderly sisters. Saedi resides in a house with 25 other people, including orphans. He has persevered in Shebaa and has not yet taken a decision to go back to his homeland. “It is difficult for one man to support ten people,” he said. Two of his sons were killed in the Syria war and only one has survived. He currently works as a shepherd in Beit Jin. Saedi said that he is better off staying in Lebanon despite having to pay nearly 100 dollars a month for his and his spouse’s medication. In addition, some of the orphaned children in his care do not have identification cards, meaning their return to Syria would be impossible. He is not the only refugee who has displayed a lack of enthusiasm to return to Beit Jin, some two months after a first batch of 482 displaced had left Shebaa for their homes. News from Beit Jin are “not encouraging” is the frequently uttered statement by several of the returnees. They complain of high costs, lack of job opportunities and United Nations aid, and negligence. Compounding their concerns is the regime’s looming threat of mandatory military enlistment. Countering these fears are refugees who want to return home. They ask: “Has the regime summoned for enlistment any of the returnees?” They did acknowledge the lack of job opportunities, saying, however, that this existed everywhere. The border town of Shebaa was long a destination for Syrians since the eruption of their country’s war. Beit Jin lies only 11 kms away from the border. They arrived to it on foot and on mule-back under the watchful eye of the UN mission in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Israeli military itself, which “did not fire at us,” recounted the refugees. The Lebanese army at the border also did not hinder their arrival at the time and the residents had even received them in their own vehicles to transport them to their town.New batch of returning refugees In April, 16 Syrian buses had transported the 482 refugees from Shebaa and nearby Arqoub town back to Beit Jin on the foothills of Mount Hermon that also borders the Golan. The returnees spoke of “guarantees” that none of those qualified would be summoned for mandatory enlistment. The returnees in the upcoming second batch, set for July, also chose not to heed news coming from Syria. Syrian refugee Asaad Qabalan and his family of five is eager to return to his town despite news of the poor conditions. “I will return with my three girls and two sons, who are due for military enlistment,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The unemployment that they all talk about exists everywhere. I own a piece of land and I will invest in it to earn a living,” he stated. Beit Jin, he said, is comprised of thousands of hectares of agricultural land and olive and apple orchards that only need some care to yield crops, he added. Lebanese official efforts to persuade Syrians to voluntarily return home have sparked widespread controversy that have culminated in a dispute between the Foreign Ministry and UNHCR. Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil had accused the agency of intimidating the displaced from returning home by raising concerns over persisting insecurity. The minister said during his Strong Lebanon bloc’s weekly meeting on Tuesday that the refugees are exacerbating Lebanon’s economic crisis. “Lebanon cannot rise economically with the presence of two million people added to the local population,” he declared. “We have never demanded the forced return of the refugees, but the implementation of the law.” Refugees in Shebaa acknowledged that UNHCR representatives had informed the first batch of returnees of the dangers of going back home. A refugee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We were informed of the current unemployment, price hikes and lack of aid.” “The returnees confirmed this to us and some have expressed regret over their decision to go back before living conditions had improved.” A refugee managing the return of the second batch of Syrians said that only a few hundred have voiced a desire to go back home. He is tasked with registering their names and delivering them to Lebanon’s General Security directorate.Voluntary return Those concerned with the file are unanimous in saying that the return to Syria is voluntary and that none of the refugees have been pressured to make their decision. Director of the “al-Jamiya al-Islamiya” organization Mohammed al-Jarrar said that he supports their return, “but only if it was dignified.” “The majority still here have had their houses destroyed in Syria. They have no job opportunities there and cannot move freely in their villages due to regime checkpoints. Winter will be upon us in a few months and no shelters have been made available to them,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Asked whether some were pressured to return home, he replied: “Some said that they wanted to go back to inspect their property and check out the living conditions. They were told that if they leave, there can be no turning back to Lebanon.” “Some want to return, but they will be living in difficult circumstances due to a lack of UN aid. A third group that is loyal to the regime has also expressed a desire to go back,” he revealed. Moreover, he said Bassil’s statements have only made the situation worse for the Syrians in Lebanon, saying they have spread concerns over harassment or a forced return home.Pressure on host community The social and economic impact of the refugees’ stay in Shebaa is evident. The town, which boasts 8,000 residents in winter and 15,000 in summer, has taken in 8,000 Syrians since the beginning of the war. Only 482 of them have gone home and that was in April. Municipal chief Mohammed Saab stressed that the locals have never hesitated in welcoming and aiding the refugees. He did acknowledge, however, the economic burden the area has incurred. “For example, only seven municipality laborers were present in the town before the refugees’ arrival. Now there are 25, which poses an additional cost on the municipality,” he explained. He also spoke of the strain the displaced are placing on electrical, water and sewage services. “Donor countries have presented aid to the refugees, but they did not contribute to the development of the host community,” Saad stressed.