Lebanon, Syria discuss border demarcation and security coordination after ceasefire

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss land and maritime border demarcation, security cooperation, and the fate of missing Lebanese nationals.

"This visit will open a new page in the course of relations between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect and restoration of trust and good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement from his office, Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media.

The high-level meeting follows a period of cross-border clashes that erupted in the wake of Islamist rebels’ ouster of Syria’s long-time president Bashar al-Assad, a key ally of Iran and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Assad’s fall reshaped the regional landscape and raised tensions along the rugged Syrian-Lebanese frontier.

The most recent clashes occurred in March when Syrian troops exchanged fire with Lebanese soldiers and local armed groups in northeast Lebanon. Syria accused Hezbollah of conducting cross-border raids and killing three Syrian soldiers. Hezbollah has denied any role in the incident. A Lebanese security official told Reuters the Syrian troops had entered Lebanese territory and were killed by members of a local tribe fearing an attack.

The fate of Lebanese detainees in Syria — an issue that resurfaced after Assad’s removal and the subsequent uncovering of mass graves and prison facilities — was also a key topic. Lebanon claims more than 700 of its citizens remain missing or detained in Syria, a legacy of Syria’s heavy-handed role during Lebanon’s 15-year civil war. Syrian forces maintained a military presence in Lebanon from 1976 until their withdrawal in 2005.

By Khagan Isayev