Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited Beirut on July 2, 2026, meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and other officials to strengthen bilateral ties [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The visit aimed to reinforce Syrian-Lebanese relations based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and non-interference [4, 6, 7]. Lebanon and Syria signed an agreement to establish a joint higher committee tasked with boosting cooperation in political, economic, and security fields. The deal covers areas including energy, transport, trade, and border movement. "We signed the agreement establishing the Joint Higher Committee for Cooperation and Partnership with Lebanon," al-Shaibani said. "This framework will serve as a platform for ministries in both countries to develop partnerships, security coordination and broader cooperation" [5, 7].
The meetings included parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, suggesting Damascus may want dialogue with all Lebanese factions. However, no discussions on Hezbollah were confirmed during the visit [2, 4, 7]. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa denied any plans for Syrian military intervention in Lebanon, rejecting US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Syria should confront Hezbollah militarily. Trump had said, "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" [1, 2, 6].
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the visit helped allay fears of Syrian interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, affirming relations on a state-to-state basis. "The visit being made today by the Syrian foreign minister removes the concerns of some Lebanese about the existence of an intention by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to interfere in Lebanon," Aoun said [6, 7].
The visit marked Syria's effort to move beyond negative legacies following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024 and open a new chapter of cooperation with Lebanon [1, 5, 7].
Lebanon and Syria will now begin work under the joint higher committee to enhance cooperation across the agreed political, economic, and security sectors [5, 7].
