Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s visit to Damascus and his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa came at a sensitive political moment, reflecting renewed movement in Syrian-Lebanese relations and efforts to rearrange regional balances.

While the visit carried political messages related to Syria’s unity and Lebanon’s stability, it also opened debate over the role of regional figures in complex files, most notably the Suwayda (southern Syria) crisis and the future of understandings between the two countries.

Relations and Accountability for Violations

Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party stated on Saturday, 25 April, on the outcomes of the visit by the party’s former president, Walid Jumblatt, to Syria and his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The statement said the two sides affirmed several positions during the visit, including:

• Improving and developing Syrian-Lebanese relations by the official authorities in both countries, in a way that serves shared interests, broadens economic and political horizons, and strengthens their stability and sovereignty.
• Supporting the stability and sovereignty of the Lebanese state, amid Lebanon’s need for the support of all its brothers and friends, foremost among them the Syrian state.
• Emphasizing Syria’s unity with all its communities and regions, and pursuing all necessary initiatives to reassure the concerns of all components of the Syrian people, which requires “addressing the painful wounds of the past, and releasing those detainees who remain.”

The Lebanese party stressed the need to hold all perpetrators of violations accountable, opening the way for reconciliation on the basis of accountability and justice. It said this was affirmed by the three-party roadmap announced in the Jordanian capital, Amman, regarding the Suwayda crisis, in addition to opening the door to development, securing services, and protecting religious shrines.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced on 16 September 2025 that a road map had been reached to resolve the crisis in Suwayda governorate, following a tripartite meeting in Damascus that brought together Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, and United States special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack.

The road map has not turned into actual solutions on the ground because of continuing disputes between the Syrian government and local factions in Suwayda, led by Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze monotheists in the governorate.

Jumblatt met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the presence of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and the acting head of the Syrian embassy in Lebanon, Iyad al-Hazzaa. He was accompanied on the visit by members of the Lebanese Democratic Gathering bloc, MPs Wael Abou Faour and Hadi Abou Al-Hassan, and Progressive Socialist Party official Khodr al-Ghadban.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed with Jumblatt the latest developments in the region, without providing further details.

In previous positions, the Lebanese Druze leader affirmed his categorical rejection of any move toward Suwayda’s independence or Syria’s partition, stressing that the governorate is an integral part of a unified Syria.

He considered attempts to change some historical names a “distortion of history,” and also rejected calls for international protection or Israeli intervention in the affairs of Suwayda’s Druze.

Improved Relations

Syrian-Lebanese relations have improved at the official level over the past period regarding several issues between the two countries.

In February, the two sides signed an agreement on returning some Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons who were suspected of having been arrested for political reasons because they supported the Syrian revolution.

The two sides have also affirmed on more than one occasion their efforts to strengthen relations based on mutual respect, noninterference in internal affairs, and turning the page on previous disputes.

In the latest developments, the Lebanese government condemned any intervention by any Lebanese party in Syrian affairs, after the Syrian government accused Lebanese Hezbollah of standing behind a cell that “aims to destabilize security,” which was arrested in the countryside of Quneitra (southwestern Syria) on 19 April.

Mutual Interest

Waiel Olwan, a researcher at the Jusoor Center for Studies, said he believes communication with political actors and figures who have a symbolic presence in the Lebanese arena is highly important for the Syrian government.

Olwan told Enab Baladi that the meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt falls within this framework.

Researcher and journalist Firas Allawi explained that the gains from a good relationship between the two sides are mutual. He noted that Jumblatt sees the Syrian government as a key partner and supporter, given the importance of the role and position Damascus plays for Lebanon, which pushes Jumblatt to strengthen his relationship with the Syrian government.

As for Damascus’s interest in its relationship with Jumblatt, Allawi told Enab Baladi that it lies in its view of the Druze leader as a supporter in multiple issues in Lebanon, because of his political and social weight.

Jumblatt’s Role in the Suwayda Crisis

Researcher Firas Allawi said Jumblatt has good influence and considerable weight that allows him to play some role in ending or mediating the Suwayda file, but not a full role, given the presence of other Lebanese Druze currents of influence, such as Wiam Wahhab and Talal Arslan.

He added that the Syrian government can benefit from Jumblatt’s positions rejecting Suwayda’s independence or separation from Syria, and even achieve international gains regarding Syria’s relationship with the Druze as a Syrian component by bringing viewpoints closer together.

For his part, researcher Waiel Olwan ruled out that the visit was directly connected to the Suwayda issue, despite the influence Jumblatt has in Suwayda’s social circles.

From Olwan’s point of view, the main motive for the visit falls within Damascus’s interest in communicating with various Lebanese political leaders and figures, because of its connection to the security and stability of the region, and is not limited to the Suwayda issue or some internal Lebanese files.

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