Syrian Foreign Minister, Assaad al-Shaibani (left), walks alongside the Syrian interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on the tarmac of Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia, before boarding a flight to Turkey, on Feb. 4, 2025. (Credit: SANA/AFP)
"We have made concessions regarding the wounds that Hezbollah inflicted on Syria, and we chose not to continue the fight after the liberation of Damascus": These remarks from Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to a delegation of Arab media representatives on Sunday are unprecedented.
During this meeting, he declared that "some present us as terrorists and an existential threat, while others want to rely on the new Syria to settle their scores with Hezbollah. But we are neither."
In 2013, when Hezbollah officially announced its military intervention in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad and ensure the continuity of supply routes passing through Syrian territory to Lebanon, it justified it by claiming that it was fighting the takfirists (a term used by the party to designate the Sunni Islamist rebels it presents as a threat to the Shiite community).
Since the takeover on Dec. 8 by a rebel coalition led by the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, the pro-Iranian party has been losing ground both politically and militarily, while Syria continues to announce seizures of munitions bound for Lebanon.
In early July, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem commented on the fall of the Assad regime, saying that "what happened was certainly a loss for the Axis of Resistance, because Syria was a path of military support."
The party-militia also claims that the new Syrian government, which it considers to be emanating from "radical Sunnism," is not trustworthy when it comes to protecting minorities, even as massacres against members of the Alawite community were committed last March on the coast by fighters, some of whom are said to be affiliated with the new authorities.
In Sweida, last July, an escalation of violence pitted Bedouin tribes, who were joined by government forces, against local Druze factions. Executions, in particular, targeted members of the Druze community.
Moreover, rumors have circulated in recent months about a possible territorial deal that would cede a large part of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to Israel in exchange for the annexation of Tripoli, the major Sunni city in northern Lebanon, and its surroundings to Syria.
Lebanon 'must benefit from Syria's rebirth'
Addressing the media delegation, the Syrian leader spoke at length about relations with Lebanon. According to him, Lebanon "must benefit from Syria's rebirth, otherwise it will lose a great deal," affirming his desire for a "state-to-state relationship with Lebanon, based on economic solutions, stability and mutual interest."
These comments came as a Syrian delegation is expected in Lebanon this week, notably to discuss the fate of Syrian detainees in the country. Several Lebanese officials have, for their part, traveled to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime.
The Syrian delegation is expected to include officials from the foreign affairs, interior, justice and intelligence services ministries to negotiate the signing of an agreement allowing for the transfer of detainees to Syria. Informed sources had revealed that Syria attaches great importance to this issue and seeks to obtain the release of all the prisoners concerned as an effective gateway to improving relations with Lebanon.
Syrian detainees in Lebanon fall into three categories: those convicted of offenses, those convicted of crimes and those who have not yet been tried. Syria is demanding the return of all these prisoners so that they can be tried or serve their sentences on its territory. In Damascus, too, there is emphasis on the fate of Lebanese detainees who supported the Syrian revolution. The authorities believe their arrest was a result of their support for the revolution, and now is the time to release them.
At the same time, the Syrian delegation will review other issues, among them the organization of entry and exit mechanisms for Syrian citizens in Lebanon and the improvement of their treatment, with Damascus considering that they are subject to "harassment and mistreatment."
Syria also wants to discuss mass arrest campaigns for reasons such as lack of documentation or illegal entry into Lebanon, as well as strengthening joint efforts to control the border and prevent the smuggling of weapons and drugs. In this context, the delegation is expected to address the implementation of a process to demarcate the border definitively.
After these matters are closed, a new stage of relations is planned, including the resumption of diplomatic work and the appointment of ambassadors in both countries, as well as the consideration of joint commercial projects that would allow Lebanon to benefit from trade and transit routes, as well as from the energy and oil sectors.
In this context, the possibility of making Lebanon one of the key starting points for Syria's reconstruction will be studied.
