BEIRUT (Dispatches) — Lebanon and Syria have agreed to form two joint committees aimed at resolving long-standing issues, including the fate of nearly 2,000 Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails, the status of missing Lebanese in Syria, and the demarcation of their shared and largely unmarked border, judicial and security officials said.
The announcement came during a visit to Beirut by a high-level Syrian delegation — the first since President Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown by takfiri forces in early December. The delegation included two former cabinet ministers and the head of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons.
Syria’s current leadership, under Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, is seeking to reset relations with Lebanon. According to Lebanese officials, Damascus is planning a visit by its foreign and justice ministers, although no date has been confirmed.
The talks represent a potential turning point in the often fraught relationship between the two countries. Tensions have persisted for decades.
Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri hosted the talks, which focused on the status of Syrian detainees — around 800 of whom are being held on security-related charges such as attacks and shootings. Many remain imprisoned without trial.
Discussions also addressed Lebanese citizens missing in Syria, rampant smuggling along the porous border, and the future of approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon since the outbreak of Syria’s civil conflict over 14 years ago.
While Syria expressed interest in reviewing past bilateral agreements from the Assad era, Lebanese officials proposed establishing new accords to reflect current realities. Since Assad’s fall, two Lebanese prime ministers have visited Damascus, and Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun met Jolani at an Arab summit in Egypt earlier this year.