Syria said on Friday during a visit to Beirut by a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani that it had reached an agreement with Lebanon to transfer Syrian prisoners not convicted of murder.
Mohammed Taha Al Ahmad, director of the Arab Affairs Department at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, told state-run Al Ekhbariah TV that “we have reached an agreement to hand over Syrian prisoners, except those whose crimes involved shedding innocent blood”.
Mr Al Shibani met Lebanese officials in Beirut, becoming the most senior figure from Syria's new government to visit Lebanon since the fall of the Assad regime last December.
Damascus and Beirut are seeking a new era in relations, which have long been turbulent and characterised by Syria's dominance over Lebanese affairs and its 1976 to 2005 occupation of Lebanon.
The fate of Syria’s prisoners in Lebanon is at the heart of efforts to re-establish relations between the two countries after more than 50 years.
Lebanon holds about 2,000 Syrians in its overcrowded jails and has said it is open to initiatives that would ease the burden, including repatriating some inmates depending on their crimes.
Hundreds of Syrian prisoners, accused of terrorism or related offences − including attacks on Lebanese forces − have been brought before military courts.
Some were members of Syrian rebel groups, including Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which led the offensive that toppled the Assad regime.
Many others have not faced trial.
“Among the most prominent issues is the acceleration of the matter of Syrian detainees in Roumieh Prison, where we made significant progress today on this file,” Mr Al Shibani said after meeting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
He was speaking alongside Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who oversees Lebanese-Syrian relations.
'New approach'
Mr Al Shibani said his visit sought to express “Syria's new approach towards Lebanon”.
Syria wants to “overcome past obstacles and strengthen bilateral relations”, he said, conceding that both sides had been “victims of political mismanagement at certain times”.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said after meeting Mr Al Shibani that Syria had pledged to “respect the Lebanese state and not interfere in its internal affairs”.
But Mr Rajji also said the neighbours were forging a “new path”.
The Syrian delegation, which included Justice Minister Mazhar Al Wais and intelligence chief Hussein Al Salama, also met President Joseph Aoun.
Mr Al Shibani and the Lebanese officials he met all spoke of opening a “new page” in relations between the two neighbours.
“The idea of having a meeting has been circulating ever since the Assad regime was toppled,” said a source close to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry.
“There are a lot of files that require joint work – border control, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Syrian prisoners here and the Lebanese who committed crimes and fled to Syria,” said the source, referring to those such as Habib Shartouni, a Lebanese citizen convicted of killing former president-elect Bachir Gemayel in 1982.
“There are lots of things to be worked on. Today's meeting needed to happen,” they added.
Lebanon has also long hosted more than a million Syrians who fled their country's civil war, though the United Nations refugee agency says more than 294,000 have returned home this year.
After meeting Mr Aoun, Mr Al Shibani said the refugee issue would be resolved gradually.
“There are plans that we are discussing now, with international support, for the dignified and stable return” of refugees, he said.
Mr Aoun has met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara on the sidelines of regional summits in Cairo and Doha this year, and invited him to visit Lebanon.
Beirut is also seeking information on Lebanese missing in Syria as well as intelligence on the political assassinations of Lebanese officials that were blamed on the Assad regime or its allies.
Mr Rajji has also confirmed that officials are seeking to finally demarcate the vast and porous Lebanese-Syrian border, which has long been a flashpoint for clashes, with periodic exchanges of fire and infiltration attempts, particularly in the north-eastern Bekaa Valley.
In March 2025, the two countries signed an agreement to demarcate the border and enhance security co-ordination, aiming to prevent disputes and curb illicit activities, including smuggling.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and armed group, has been heavily involved in cross-border smuggling, primarily to move weapons and military supplies. But the militant group, which was a key backer of the Assad regime, has been severely weakened after its war with Israel last year and is now under intense pressure to disarm.
