Lebanese and Syrian officials convened in Beirut on Monday to discuss a range of shared concerns, with particular emphasis on the fate of Syrian detainees and individuals reported missing in Lebanon.
According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, the meeting brought together Mohammad Yaqoub al-Omar, head of the Consular Affairs Department at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, accompanied by a Syrian delegation.
Al-Omar stated that the talks addressed detainees, missing persons and other bilateral issues, though he refrained from providing further details. He emphasized that both sides stressed “the importance of strengthening fraternal ties between Syria and Lebanon through coordination and cooperation.”
The matter of Syrian detainees in Lebanon has long been a point of tension between the two countries. Syrian state television recently claimed that more than 2,000 Syrians remain in Lebanese custody, many of them held without trial since the outbreak of the 2011 uprising. Lebanese authorities, for their part, contend that the individuals face pending charges but have not disclosed specific information.
This meeting follows Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s April visit to Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. That visit marked the first by a Lebanese head of government since al-Sharaa assumed power in December 2024, following the ouster of Bashar Assad. Discussions during Salam’s visit likewise included the detainees issue.
Lebanese-Syrian relations have historically been overshadowed by disputes over border demarcation and smuggling. The new Syrian leadership has pledged to prioritize the resolution of these longstanding matters, with particular attention to the detainees file.
