The Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Abdellatif Deriane, and the interim Syrian President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, surrounded by dignitaries and officials in Damascus, on July 5, 2025. (Credit: National News Agency)
It is a barely veiled threat. On Friday, Syria TV, a media outlet close to the authorities in Damascus, reported that President Ahmad al-Sharaa was considering retaliatory measures against Beirut’s "procrastination" in handling the case of Syrian detainees (often held without trial) in Lebanese prisons.The channel mentioned possible restrictions on the passage of Lebanese trucks through Syria, the only land route for exports to key Gulf countries. While a source close to the Syrian government denied this information to L’Orient-Le Jour, they noted that families of these detainees were exerting pressure. According to our data, this is also the primary reason for the delay in the previously announced visit to Beirut by Assaad al-Shaibani, the Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister.During the day, official Syrian media denied these...
It is a barely veiled threat. On Friday, Syria TV, a media outlet close to the authorities in Damascus, reported that President Ahmad al-Sharaa was considering retaliatory measures against Beirut’s "procrastination" in handling the case of Syrian detainees (often held without trial) in Lebanese prisons.The channel mentioned possible restrictions on the passage of Lebanese trucks through Syria, the only land route for exports to key Gulf countries. While a source close to the Syrian government denied this information to L’Orient-Le Jour, they noted that families of these detainees were exerting pressure. According to our data, this is also the primary reason for the delay in the previously announced visit to Beirut by Assaad al-Shaibani, the Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister.During the day, official Syrian media denied these...
