Ahmad al-Sharaa receives 'letter of congratulations' from Saad Hariri

Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received a letter of congratulations from former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Syria’s state-run news agency, Sana, reported Tuesday.

In his letter, Hariri highlighted "the positive impact in Lebanon following Sharaa’s accession to the presidency" and expressed optimism that the Syrian leader would achieve "the goals for which the Syrian people have fought for years." Sharaa, appointed interim president for an indefinite period, led a coalition of Islamist rebel groups that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, ending decades of Assad family rule.

Hariri described Sharaa’s rise to power as "evidence of Syria’s liberation from a tyrannical regime that sowed chaos and crime." He also voiced hope for "the establishment of friendly relations between Lebanon and Syria, in the interest of both peoples, erasing the remnants of an unjust era that will never return."

Hariri returned to Lebanon last week to attend the 20th commemoration of the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In his speech, he largely blamed his father’s killing on the fallen Assad regime rather than Hezbollah, despite the Special Tribunal for Lebanon accusing members of the group.

Since his return to Beirut, Hariri has met with several Lebanese officials and foreign ambassadors. He also received a Hezbollah delegation that invited him to the public funeral, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his presumed successor, Hachem Safieddine, who were killed in Israeli strikes late last year.

Hariri left Beirut on Tuesday for the United Arab Emirates.