<br />Hundreds of Syrian refugees have left the remote<br />Lebanese mountain town of Arsal in a convoy of trucks<br />headed for the northern border on the first day of a<br />controversial repatriation scheme.<br />Lebanese authorities say 751 Syrian refugees began<br />returning to Syria on Wednesday under a voluntary<br />programme coordinated by Lebanon's General Security,<br />the agency responsible for safeguarding the country's<br />borders.<br />Syria has been devastated by a civil war that started in<br />2011 following an uprising against President Bashar<br />al-Assad. Much of the country remains in ruins, with<br />power stations, schools and water services ravaged by<br />the conflict.<br />
