Accolade in Damascus between caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the new Syrian leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on Jan. 11, 2025. Photo provided by the office of the Lebanese PM.
During caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s visit to Damascus on Jan. 11, the country’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, surprised him. Sharaa was keen to link the Syrian refugee issue in Lebanon to the resolution of other sensitive issues — including border control — between the two countries. Most notable among these were the assets of Syrian nationals that have been trapped for over five years in Lebanese banks.What’s more concerning, as a source familiar with the discussions said, is that Sharaa reiterated the estimates ousted President Bashar al-Assad had given. Assad had said in November 2020 that Syria’s economic collapse was largely due to Syrian deposits being trapped in Lebanese banks, which he gauged between $20 and $40 billion. The major difference between the two figures reflects how untenable these estimates are.This matter...
During caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s visit to Damascus on Jan. 11, the country’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, surprised him. Sharaa was keen to link the Syrian refugee issue in Lebanon to the resolution of other sensitive issues — including border control — between the two countries. Most notable among these were the assets of Syrian nationals that have been trapped for over five years in Lebanese banks.What’s more concerning, as a source familiar with the discussions said, is that Sharaa reiterated the estimates ousted President Bashar al-Assad had given. Assad had said in November 2020 that Syria’s economic collapse was largely due to Syrian deposits being trapped in Lebanese banks, which he gauged between $20 and $40 billion. The major difference between the two figures reflects how untenable these estimates...