Lebanon has handed over more than 130 prisoners to Syria in a sign of improving relations.
The 132 Syrians, many of whom had been held at Lebanon's overcrowded Roumieh prison, were handed over at the Jdeidat Yabous border crossing near Damascus. They will serve the remainder of their sentences in Syria under a deal signed last month, which is expected to cover about 350 prisoners in total.
Their return has become a main focus of Syria and Lebanon's efforts to mend differences. Syria wants its citizens to return home, while Lebanon is eager to ease the burden on its beleaguered jails.
The war in Iran has threatened to derail matters, with Syria posting troops to the Lebanese border as people flee Israel's attacks on Hezbollah. Syrians have been turned away from shelters amid the chaos of Israeli displacement orders.
But the Syrian government in power since late 2024 has hailed the prisoner deal as a diplomatic win, as the country emerges from civil-war era isolation.
Syria is “committed to standing by its citizens worldwide” and ensuring “safe and dignified living conditions” for them, said Iyad Hazza, the charge d’affaires of the Syrian embassy in Beirut.
“This positive co-operation reflects the depth of the relations between our two countries,” Mr Hazza said. Hundreds of Syrians are still awaiting trial in Lebanon – a notoriously slow process – and are not part of the agreement.
Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who has overseen the outreach to Syria, described the prisoner deal as a way to strengthen relations.
The former regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria occupied Lebanon until 2005, while fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah later joined the civil war in Syria. But both countries have relatively new governments that have pledged reform and have a degree of US backing. As relations improve there has also been a push to prevent drug traffickers smuggling Captagon from Lebanon into Syria.
