Al-Sharaa denies he called for 80% of Syrians to return from Germany

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has attributed a controversial statement that 80% of the more than 900,000 Syrians in Germany should go back home within three years to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz made the announcement during al-Sharaa's visit to Germany on Monday, and clarified a day later that "the figure of 80% returnees within three years was cited by the Syrian president.