Jumblatt received by Sharaa in Damascus

The former president of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, was received Saturday by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. The Druze leader was the first Lebanese figure to meet the new Syrian leader on December 22, 2024, shortly after his rise to power and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

This new visit comes at a very delicate time, both in Lebanon, which is experiencing a new conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, and in the region where the Israeli-American attack on Iran has led to negotiations with a very uncertain future. In Lebanon as well, direct negotiations with Israel, launched by the Lebanese state in Washington, are deepening divisions with Hezbollah, which rejects them.

In recent days, Jumblatt has emphasized the importance for Beirut to develop “a clear roadmap” before moving toward negotiations with Israel. On Tuesday, during a visit to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry in Ain al-Tineh, he expressed support for a return to the armistice agreement reached between the two countries in 1949.