'Fruitful and useful meeting' between Joumblatt and Geagea

Former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt met on Wednesday at his Beirut residence with the head of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, who was accompanied by LF MP for North Metn, Melhem Riashi. MP Wael Abou Faour, a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, was present at the meeting, which focused on political developments in Lebanon and the region, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

At the end of the discussion, Geagea said that the meeting had been "fruitful and useful on all levels." He added, "May God do what is good," regarding the political situation in Lebanon. Geagea rarely leaves the highly secured Maarab compound where he resides, in Mount Lebanon.

This meeting between the two political leaders comes at a time marked by the new visit to Beirut by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, as the thorny issue of Hezbollah's disarmament remains at the heart of debates on the Lebanese political scene and internationally.

Recent clashes between Druze factions and Sunni tribes, backed by government forces, in Syria killed more than 1,200 in Syria's southern Sweida province and stirred up tensions in several areas of Lebanon.