Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun received by ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in 2023. (Credit: SANA)
The Assad era is over. The Syrian dictator’s fall on Dec. 8 is a Syrian issue before anything else. But this historic event will have a major impact on Lebanon, which is strongly influenced by the developments in Syria, particularly since the latter occupied Lebanon from 1990 to 2005. Even after that date, Bashar al-Assad never stopped trying to extend his influence over his small neighboring country. But today, as a new page is turned in Syria, this is a very uncertain period for bilateral relations, particularly in the eyes of the rebels, for whom Lebanon was sometimes on the wrong side of history. “There’s no real active diplomacy possible as long as the government has not been formed in Damascus,” said a Lebanese diplomatic source. “There are, of course, channels of communication, notably security channels, and we are keen to...
The Assad era is over. The Syrian dictator’s fall on Dec. 8 is a Syrian issue before anything else. But this historic event will have a major impact on Lebanon, which is strongly influenced by the developments in Syria, particularly since the latter occupied Lebanon from 1990 to 2005. Even after that date, Bashar al-Assad never stopped trying to extend his influence over his small neighboring country. But today, as a new page is turned in Syria, this is a very uncertain period for bilateral relations, particularly in the eyes of the rebels, for whom Lebanon was sometimes on the wrong side of history. “There’s no real active diplomacy possible as long as the government has not been formed in Damascus,” said a Lebanese diplomatic source. “There are, of course, channels of communication, notably security channels, and we are keen...