The Battikha (watermelon) monument in the Battikha square, at the entrance to the Yarmouk camp in southern Damascus, on Dec. 23, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib held a telephone conversation with his newly appointed Syrian counterpart, Assaad Hassan al-Shibani, marking the first official contact between Beirut and the new authorities in Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) and a statement published by the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Telegram, Bou Habib expressed Lebanon’s support for the new Syrian government and congratulated the Syrian people on their "victory." Al-Shibani, representing Syria's transitional government, emphasized the "depth of fraternal relations" between the Lebanese and Syrian peoples and stressed the importance of preserving these ties in the "interests of both countries." The two officials also pledged to collaborate on enhancing regional stability and security.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to comment on the call.
Separately, on Sunday, Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Joumblatt, led a delegation to Damascus to meet Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader and head of the rebel coalition that overthrew Bashar al-Assad. This encounter marked the first meeting between a prominent Lebanese figure and the new de facto leader of Damascus.
Following the regime’s collapse, Lebanese officials, including those at the Grand Serail, reaffirmed their commitment to fostering "the best possible relations with the Syrian state and its representatives" while respecting "the will of the Syrian people, for it is for them alone to choose their representatives, political system and the future of their country."
