Syria open to meeting Hezbollah 'if interests require it', says Syrian FM

Visit comes as Damascus insists against military intervention in Lebanon

Syria's foreign minister said during a visit to Beirut ‌on Thursday that Damascus was open to meeting the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah "if interests require it", Lebanon's state news agency reported.

Asaad al-Shibani met Lebanese leaders including President Joseph Aoun and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, in his first visit to Lebanon since U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility of ​Syrian forces combating Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denied what he called rumours about any Syrian ​presence entering Lebanon.

The former rebels and commanders that now run Syria fought against Hezbollah for years while ⁠it deployed fighters in Syria to support former President Bashar al-Assad.

Now that they are in power, they are having to calibrate ​alliances and military action carefully in efforts to maintain relative stability in Syria, which is still recovering from 14 years of civil ​war.

Aoun's office said Sharaa had assured him Syria would not take sides in Lebanon's internal affairs.

Syria's new government under former al Qaeda commander Sharaa has emerged as a US ally since his forces toppled Assad in 2024, and has largely stayed out of the regional war between the US and ​Israel, and Iran.

Hezbollah's war with Israel has devastated large parts of southern Lebanon. US-backed efforts have brought a lull in fighting, but ​stopped short of ending the conflict.

Israeli forces carried out a large explosion targeting several houses in the southern Lebanese town of Hadatha on Thursday, ‌state ⁠news agency NNA reported.

Read: Iran warns US, Israel against attacks ahead of funeral processions for Khamenei

Shibani said the "Hezbollah file" was not raised during his meetings, but that Syria was open to meeting the group, NNA cited him as saying.

Trump said last month he had spoken to Sharaa about combating Hezbollah, after criticising Israel for killing too many civilians in Lebanon. "I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think ​they do a better job of ​doing it," Trump said.

Damascus wary of being drawn into war

Sharaa has since said that "the rumours circulating about Syria entering Lebanon are completely unfounded", according to Syrian state media.

Shibani said Lebanon and Syria had signed an agreement establishing ​a high-level cooperation committee to strengthen bilateral ties.

"All we bring to Lebanon is love and ​a commitment to overcoming ⁠the painful legacy in relations between the two countries," he said during a press conference.

Reuters reported in March that the United States had encouraged Syria to consider sending forces into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, but Damascus was reluctant. Trump's Syria envoy, Tom Barrack, later ⁠called the ​report "false and inaccurate".

Read more: 

Syria long dominated Lebanon under the Assad family, sending in forces ​in 1976 during the 1975-90 civil war and controlling Lebanon's post-war politics until its withdrawal in 2005.

Any Syrian intervention could fuel sectarian tensions in both Syria and ​Lebanon, home to a mosaic of sects including Sunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims, Christians and Druze.

Lebanese president says Syrian counterpart pledges 'new chapter' in bilateral ties

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged a "new chapter" in relations between the two countries, assuring him that Damascus would stand alongside all Lebanese rather than one side against another.

Al-Sharaa "told me that a new chapter has been opened between the two countries, in which Syria will not stand with one party against another, but rather alongside all Lebanese," Aoun said during talks with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Beirut, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.

He reaffirmed Beirut's commitment to establishing "brotherly relations" with Damascus based on cooperation, coordination, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

“We are keen on Syria's stability just as Syria is keen on Lebanon's stability,” Aoun added.

He also welcomed coordination between the two countries, particularly on border security and efforts to prevent the smuggling of people and weapons.

Aoun noted that al-Sharaa had repeatedly assured him during meetings and phone calls that “Syria's role will not be like it was in the past.”

The Lebanese president also welcomed the formation of a joint higher committee between the two countries to safeguard the interests of Lebanon and Syria alike.

For his part, al-Shaibani conveyed greetings from al-Sharaa and delivered a formal invitation for Aoun to visit Damascus.

According to the presidency, the Syrian foreign minister said his visit was intended to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance coordination between the two countries, particularly in the economic sphere.