Following the overthrow of Al-Assad, Lebanon and Syria have sought to strengthen their relations.

On Friday, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais signed an agreement in Beirut to transfer some 300 Syrian prisoners from Lebanese jails, which the diplomats considered a gesture of cooperation after decades of tense bilateral relations.

RELATED:

U.S. Considers Full Withdrawal of Troops From Syria

The agreement, signed before Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and a high-level Syrian delegation, will benefit convicts serving more than ten years in prison, including those arrested after the 2011 uprisings against Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Wais explained that judicial committees are working on new agreements for other prisoners, emphasizing that this signing “strengthens trust” and reflects the “depth of the fraternal relations” between the two countries.

Following the overthrow of al-Assad in 2024, Lebanon and Syria have sought to strengthen their relations. On Monday, Israeli aircraft dropped an unknown chemical substance in areas of southern Lebanon, after similar incidents in Syria.

The attacks forced the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to suspend operations. They denounced the Israeli occupation army for ordering peacekeepers to take cover, which affected a third of the border for nine hours.

Since Dec. 2024, more than 1.2 million people have returned to Syria, 850,000 of them from Lebanon. Within Syria, 1.7 million internally displaced people have also returned, including 880,000 who left camps.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has opened a civil registration office in the city of Idlib and supported small businesses run by returnees, stressing that international commitment is essential for reconstruction.

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE – UN News

IN THIS ARTICLE