Half a century later, Lebanon and Syria take a step toward each other

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the international community mobilized to establish contact with the new Syrian authorities, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Even Iraq — whose successive governments had supported the former regime — recently hosted Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Shibani in Baghdad.In this diplomatic parade toward the new Syria, one actor stands out by its absence: Lebanon. True, in early March, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met briefly with his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the Arab League summit held in Cairo. But the meeting — brief and largely unavoidable — was mostly a formality, especially given that General Aoun, a former army chief, is clearly wary of Sharaa, the former head of the jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). During the Syrian civil war, the Lebanese Army frequently clashed...