Syria's foreign minister visits Lebanon as both nations seek to rebuild ties after Assad's ouster

Syria's foreign minister arrived in Beirut on Friday in what observers say could mark a breakthrough in relations between the two neighbors, which have been tense for decades.

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji and and later with President Joseph Aoun. He is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. It is the first high-profile Syrian visit to Lebanon since insurgent groups overthrew President Bashar Assad's government in early December 2024.

After meeting Aoun, Shaibani said the refugee issue would be resolved gradually. "There are plans that we are discussing now, with international support, for the dignified and stable return" of refugees, he said.

Lebanon and Syria have been working to rebuild strained ties, focusing on the status of roughly 2,000 Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, border security, locating Lebanese nationals missing in Syria for years and facilitating the return of Syrian refugees.

The current Syrian leadership resents Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah for taking part in Syria's civil war, fighting alongside Assad's forces, while many Lebanese still grudge Syria's 29-year domination of its smaller neighbor, where it had a military presence for three decades until 2005.

Following their meeting, al-Shibani and Rajji announced at a news conference that the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council has been suspended and all dealings will be restricted to official diplomatic channels.

Created in 1991, the council symbolized Syria's influence over Lebanon. Its role declined after Syria's 2005 withdrawal, the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the 2008 opening of the Syrian Embassy in Beirut, which marked Syria's first official recognition of Lebanon as an autonomous state since it gained independence from France in 1943. In recent years, the council was largely inactive, with only limited contact between officials.

“In this context, we look forward to the appointment of a new Syrian ambassador to Lebanon to follow up on all matters through both embassies in Damascus and Beirut,” Aoun said in a statement following his meeting with al-Shibani.

In early September, a Syrian delegation, which included two former Cabinet ministers and the head of Syria's National Commission for Missing Persons, visited Beirut. Lebanon and Syria also agreed at the time to establish two committees to address outstanding key issues.

These efforts are part of a broader regional shift following Assad's ouster and Hezbollah's significant losses during its recent war with Israel.

Al-Shibani reiterated Syria's "respect for Lebanon's sovereignty," saying Damascus seeks to "move past previous obstacles and strengthen bilateral ties."

"My visit to Beirut is meant to reaffirm the depth of Syrian-Lebanese relations," he said.

Many of the Syrians held in Lebanon remain in jail without trial — about 800 are detained for security-related reasons, including involvement in attacks and shootings.

Al-Shibani's delegation included the Syrian justice minister, Mazhar al-Louais al-Wais; the head of Syrian intelligence, Hussein al-Salama; and the assistant interior minister, Maj. Gen. Abdel Qader Tahan, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency.

Meanwhile, Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the uprising-turned-civil war that erupted more than 14 years ago. Since Assad's fall in December, around 850,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries as of September, with the number expected to rise, according to UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements. Lebanese authorities granted an exemption to Syrians staying illegally if they left by the end of August.

Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011, has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half the country's prewar population of 23 million. More than 5 million Syrians fled the country as refugees, most of them to neighboring countries, including Lebanon, which has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

Although many Syrians initially hoped for stability after Assad was ousted, sectarian killings against members of Assad's Alawite minority sect in Syria's coastal region in March and against the Druze minority in the southern province of Sweida in July claimed hundreds of lives and revived security concerns.

Meanwhile, the Lebanon-Syria border has long been a flashpoint for clashes, with periodic exchanges of fire and infiltration attempts, particularly in the northeastern Bekaa Valley. In March 2025, the two countries signed an agreement to demarcate the border and enhance security coordination, aiming to prevent disputes and curb smuggling and other illicit activities.

Hezbollah has been heavily involved in cross-border smuggling, primarily to move weapons and military supplies, leading to tensions and violent confrontations along the border. Syrian security forces have repeatedly intercepted Hezbollah-linked trucks carrying weapons into Lebanon.

Aoun said Friday the border situation “has improved compared to the past.”

Since the fall of Assad, two Lebanese prime ministers have visited Syria. Aoun and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa also held talks on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Egypt in March.

On Friday, Aoun said he and Shibani emphasized the need to follow up on understandings reached in earlier meetings to address key issues — including border demarcation, a gas pipeline and detainees.

In 2022, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt agreed to ship 650 million cubic meters (23 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year from Egypt through Syria to Lebanon’s Deir Ammar power plant.