President Joseph Aoun receives Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri in Baabda on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo published on the Lebanese presidency's X account.)
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri informed President Joseph Aoun on Thursday of the "results of the Lebanese-Syrian meetings" held Wednesday, which "will help strengthen trust in relations between Lebanon and Syria," according to statements from Mitri relayed by the presidency in a message on X. "We discussed a range of issues and are working to resolve outstanding matters, particularly the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons," he said following the meeting.
A Syrian delegation visited Beirut on Wednesday, focusing especially on the thorny issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, which has forcefully returned to the forefront since the rebel coalition led by Ahmad al-Sharaa came to power in Damascus in December 2024. As early as mid-September, two Lebanese delegations visited Damascus to discuss this issue, following a visit to Beirut on September 1 by a Syrian delegation that met with Mitri.
"We will continue discussions with the Syrian side on this matter, as well as cooperation to verify the possible presence of Lebanese citizens in Syrian prisons," added Mitri, who heads Lebanese-Syrian relations.
According to the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, which cites a "Lebanese official" who requested anonymity, the Lebanese side asked Damascus to "provide information about assassinations targeting political, religious, military and security officials, as well as Lebanese journalists, for which the previous Syrian regime is suspected of involvement." They reportedly "submitted a list of personalities who were assassinated under Assad's regime and for whom investigations failed to identify the perpetrators," "from Druze leader Kamal Joumblatt (assassinated in 1977, under the Hafez al-Assad regime) to the assassination of researcher Lokman Slim [in 2021, blamed on Hezbollah]."
Arab-Russian summit
On another front, Mitri said he had asked Aoun for "instructions regarding [his] representation at the first Arab-Russian summit to be held in Moscow in mid-October." Russian President Vladimir Putin officially invited leaders of all Arab League member states in mid-May to take part in this unprecedented summit, scheduled for October 15. "We discussed the upcoming Cabinet session, where it is planned to hear from the army command on the monthly report on weapons monopoly, and we discussed the climate of trust between the government and the president," the deputy prime minister further explained.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Michel Michel Menassah met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in the city of al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of his participation in a security summit. According to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA), the two men discussed ways to develop bilateral relations between Lebanon and Syria and to strengthen coordination between the two countries. They also continued talks about the agreement reached in Jeddah at the end of March, aimed at demarcating the border between the two states and forming specialized legal committees for that purpose, as well as activating cooperation mechanisms to face security and military challenges.
Complaint against Wiam Wahhab
As part of the lawsuit filed in Syria against former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab (an ally of the Assad regime), the judiciary of the new regime in Damascus summoned the plaintiff, Syrian lawyer Bassel Said Maneh, on Wednesday to hear his testimony. According to several local and Syrian media outlets, the charges against Wahhab relate to "publishing lies that harm the prestige of the (Syrian) state, incitement to sectarian violence, openly seeking to overthrow the head of state, and inciting armed sedition online."
In July, as fierce clashes erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze residents in the Syrian region of Sweida, Wahhab announced the creation of a group called the "Army of Tawhid," named after his political party. According to him, it aimed to "establish independent resistance to defend the Druze," whom he considered victims of a conflict orchestrated by the new Syrian authorities.
As early as July 23, Wahhab was targeted by a request to open a judicial investigation in Lebanon, denouncing crimes that "threaten national security and civil peace." Another case was opened in Syria before the fifth investigating judge specializing in cyber-crime, while Wahhab welcomed Israeli strikes against the country during this violent episode.
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