The gradual return of Christian families to villages in rural Idlib and Latakia is a positive local indicator of relative improvement and community recovery. The return remains fragile, however, and depends on security, property restitution, repair of homes and churches, basic services, and continued local protection.
Christian villages in rural Idlib have witnessed the gradual return of some families since late 2025 after years of displacement. This return is a local indicator of relative improvement in security conditions and property access, but it remains tied to major challenges, including damaged homes and churches, weak services, and the need for continued local protection.
For Congress, the issue is relevant to the return of displaced communities, protection of religious minorities, property restitution, local stability, and the ability of Syrian institutions to support safe and sustainable return.
The Return to Ghassaniyah
In November 2025, the village of Ghassaniyah in rural Idlib saw the return of Christian families after more than a decade of forced absence. The return took place in a public religious and community setting, with clergy and representatives of Christian communities emphasizing forgiveness, coexistence, and rebuilding shared life after years of war.
Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, sent a message to the people of the village stressing forgiveness as a foundation for lasting coexistence and peace. Franciscan clergy, including Bishop Hanna Jallouf, the Apostolic Vicar and head of the Latin community in Syria, also played a visible role in accompanying the return process.
Local residents told SMNN that conditions in Ghassaniyah and nearby Christian villages, including Qunaya, Yacoubiyah, and Jdeideh, have improved relatively and that returning families have not reported direct harassment. They also said government authorities returned lands and homes that had been under the control of Turkistani families and forces since 2013, despite looting, theft, war damage, bombardment, and damage linked to the 2023 earthquake.
Local Figures and Property Conditions
Abdullah Ibrahim, who returned to his previous role as mayor of Ghassaniyah after displacement in Aleppo, told SMNN that the village had around 4,500 residents before 2012 and covered roughly 3,000 hectares. He noted Christian presence in Hallouz, Qunaya, Yacoubiyah, Jdeideh, and Jisr al-Shughur, which had Christian families and two churches belonging to the Latin and Greek Orthodox communities.
According to Ibrahim, Ghassaniyah has four churches belonging to the Latin, Greek Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, and Presbyterian Evangelical communities. During the war, only six families remained for a limited period before leaving for Latakia after the killing of Fr. François Mourad, a Syrian Syriac Catholic priest killed in June 2013 in the Ghassaniyah/Jisr al-Shughur area, in circumstances reported by church sources as involving an armed group attack on a monastery.
Ibrahim said that after the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024, Christian families began making short visits to their homes in Ghassaniyah, but not permanent returns, because Turkistani families were still present in some houses. He said the evacuation of the village and return of residents would not have happened without what he described as a “firm government political decision” in November 2025, along with exceptional efforts by Franciscan clergy and local religious leaders.
He said around 30 families, or approximately 75 people, are now living in Ghassaniyah. In Hallouz, Christian families have not yet returned permanently because the relocation of Turkistani families was delayed until May 2026. Four young men are currently present there, with expectations that more families may return if conditions improve.
On damage, Ibrahim said Ghassaniyah has around 700 homes, including 54 completely destroyed homes and about 400 partially damaged homes. The remaining homes also require rehabilitation because they were looted or stripped of contents.
Qunaya, Yacoubiyah, and Jdeideh
The situation differs in neighboring Christian villages. Ibrahim said that during the war, around 20 elderly families remained in each of Yacoubiyah, Jdeideh, and Qunaya. Today, he estimates that each village has roughly 50 families, including younger members.
He said Hallouz had about 1,800 residents before the war, Qunaya around 4,000, Yacoubiyah around 3,000, and Jdeideh around 2,500. Some international organizations have begun limited support for repairing partially damaged homes and providing basic household equipment.
Father Khokaz Mesrob, head of the Latin monastery in Qunaya, told SMNN that families have gradually returned to Yacoubiyah, Jdeideh, and Qunaya, with the approximate number of returning families in those areas reaching around 700. He said Qunaya has one Latin church, Yacoubiyah has two churches, one Latin and one Armenian Orthodox, and Jdeideh has a Greek Orthodox church.
He added that churches in these areas suffered extensive destruction and looting. Ghassaniyah’s churches were among the most damaged, including removal of crosses and shelling damage. The Presbyterian Evangelical church sustained partial destruction, while the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George was completely destroyed.
Services, Security, and Community Reconstruction
Despite signs of return, major obstacles remain. Ibrahim said some residents still do not feel fully secure, and religious practice remains limited because churches were destroyed or need rehabilitation. Water, electricity, roads, sewage systems, and housing rehabilitation remain major barriers.
A local reconstruction committee of 12 Ghassaniyah residents has collected around $35,000 in donations. The initiative has started work on drinking-water networks, street lighting, solar power for 15 families, and surveillance cameras, while coordinating with organizations on roads, sewage, water, electricity, and sidewalks.
Ibrahim also said there is close cooperation with the director of the Jisr al-Shughur area to preserve local security. Residents described this coordination as important for encouraging additional families to consider return, though continued protection, services, and repairs remain necessary.
Positive Indicators and Incidents to Monitor
The return to rural Idlib has coincided with other signs of renewed Christian institutional activity. In Aleppo, the Latin Church recovered al-Ram School, which had been confiscated since the 1960s, while educational life has begun gradually returning to Qunaya.
At the same time, concerning sectarian incidents still require follow-up, including partial vandalism of a Virgin Mary statue at Saint Cyril Church in Damascus’s Qassaa neighborhood and threatening phrases found on the walls of the Mar Elias shrine in Maarat Saidnaya. These incidents do not erase the return indicators in Idlib and Latakia, but they underline the need to monitor protection of religious sites and accountability for intimidation or vandalism.
Latakia: Returning to Land Before Full Resettlement
In Latakia province, Christian families are present in northwestern areas including Kansabba, Ghneimeh, and Qasab, with a limited presence in the city center. George Jabbour, a resident of Kansabba in the al-Haffah district, told SMNN that Christian families from the area were able in early June 2026 to visit and inspect their lands and fields after years of displacement.
Jabbour said residents had relied before the war on agriculture, especially apple farming, and that the area experienced heavy clashes and widespread destruction after 2011. He said Kansabba had around 150 families in 2011 and had long been a place of intercommunal coexistence.
Most Christian families, however, have not yet returned for full resettlement because many homes were completely destroyed and require reconstruction. The area has one church belonging to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Latakia and its dependencies.
Why This Matters for Congress
The return of Christian families to villages in rural Idlib and Latakia is a positive local indicator of relative improvement and of residents’ willingness to return to their land, churches, and communities. It also shows that return remains fragile and depends on security, property restitution, repairs to homes and churches, access to services, and cooperation among residents, local authorities, and humanitarian organizations.
For congressional review, the key questions are whether returns continue in Ghassaniyah, Qunaya, Yacoubiyah, Jdeideh, Hallouz, and Kansabba; whether property restitution expands; whether churches and homes are rehabilitated for permanent return; and whether local authorities can prevent sectarian incidents from undermining community confidence.
This issue is not only about the return of one religious community. It is also about Syria’s ability to protect religious diversity, manage displacement returns, support local recovery, and turn limited field-level recovery indicators into a broader sustainable path.
By Antonio Bassmaji
SMNN Reporter – Aleppo, Syria