Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated in Beirut on Thursday that Damascus is prepared to meet with Hezbollah “if mutual interest requires it,” while simultaneously reassuring Lebanese leaders that Syria has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon. The visit, his second since the new Islamist-led government took power in Damascus, came weeks after US President Donald Trump publicly suggested that Syria could “take care of Hezbollah” more effectively than Israel. Al-Shaibani’s remarks, reported by Lebanese state media, were delivered after meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.

According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, al-Shaibani sought to “clear up the confusion” over potential Syrian military action, affirming that Damascus had no such plans. President Aoun, in turn, stressed Lebanon’s commitment to fraternal ties based on “cooperation, coordination and mutual non-interference.” The Syrian minister later told reporters that the Hezbollah file was not discussed with Berri, but that a meeting with the group remained possible if national interests dictated. Viewed from Damascus, the new authorities—drawn from former rebel factions that fought Hezbollah when it backed Bashar al-Assad—are calibrating a delicate balance: they maintain deep hostility toward the Iran-backed group, yet seek to avoid being drawn into a regional war or inflaming sectarian tensions.

The visit produced concrete diplomatic outcomes. Al-Shaibani and Prime Minister Salam signed an agreement establishing a Higher Committee for Cooperation and Partnership, intended to coordinate on electricity interconnection, transport, trade, and border security. Al-Shaibani also extended an invitation from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for Aoun to visit Damascus, which would be the first such trip by a Lebanese head of state since Syria’s military withdrawal in 2005. The overture signals a push to normalise state-to-state relations after decades of Syrian tutelage, though Lebanese officials remain cautious, insisting that any new chapter must be built on sovereignty and non-interference.

Syria’s relationship with Lebanon has been shaped by a long history of military and political domination. Syrian forces entered Lebanon in 1976 during the civil war and remained until 2005, exercising de facto control over Lebanese politics. The current Syrian government, led by former al-Qaeda commander al-Sharaa, has emerged as a US ally since toppling Assad in 2024, but it has largely stayed out of the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. Washington has encouraged Damascus to consider sending forces into eastern Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, according to a Reuters report in March, though Trump’s special envoy later dismissed the account as “false and inaccurate.” Analysts in Beirut note that any Syrian military involvement would risk reigniting sectarian strife in both countries. For now, Damascus is pursuing a diplomatic track, with the invitation to Aoun and the new cooperation committee serving as the next concrete steps in a carefully managed rapprochement.