International Organization for Migration chief Amy Pope said Tuesday the U.N. agency was not advising the large-scale return of people to Syria before the situation in the country has stabilized.

"People have the right to return home... but we are not advising any sort of large-scale return... the system can’t bear that kind of influx," Pope told AFP during a visit to Lebanon, adding that "absent an investment in Syria itself... sending people back will only destabilize the country further and will likely create pressures for people to migrate out again".