Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Lebanon included a series of meetings with Lebanese officials, political figures, and religious leaders representing the country’s various components.

Enab Baladi reviewed the visit’s agenda, which expanded to include state institutions, political parties, and religious authorities.

Meetings With Presidents, Political Forces, and Religious Leaders

Al-Shaibani began his meetings with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations based on mutual respect and good neighborliness, develop economic cooperation, and review the latest regional and international developments.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

He also met Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, discussing several issues of common interest and regional developments. It was the first meeting between a senior Syrian official and Berri since Syria’s new administration assumed its duties.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

The meeting also included Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with the two sides discussing ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Both sides stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty of the two countries, activating the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Committee, and expanding areas of economic cooperation.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

On the religious level, al-Shaibani met Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian.

The meeting emphasized the importance of strengthening fraternal relations between the two countries and consolidating the values of pluralism and coexistence.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdul Latif Derian, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

He also met Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, discussing ways to support coexistence, strengthen stability, and develop relations between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

In the city of Tripoli, al-Shaibani met Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Mohammad Tarek Imam, in the presence of several city notables. The meeting addressed common issues and ways to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Mohammad Tarek Imam, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

At the party level, al-Shaibani met former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt.

The two sides stressed the importance of preserving Syria’s unity and sovereignty, while also discussing prospects for developing Syrian-Lebanese relations.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Walid Jumblatt, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

He also met Kataeb Party head Samy Gemayel and discussed several issues of common interest with him, before meeting Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Kataeb Party head Samy Gemayel, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

The meeting with Geagea addressed developing bilateral relations and the importance of continued dialogue and coordination, with the Syrian side emphasizing its concern for Lebanon’s stability and security.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea, July 2, 2026. (Syrian Foreign Ministry/Facebook)

An Important Visit

The map of meetings reflects Damascus’s interest in communicating with various Lebanese state institutions, as well as political forces and religious authorities representing the country’s main sects and components, as part of efforts to rebuild relations between the two countries on new foundations.

In this context, analyst and international affairs researcher Mahmoud Alloush believes Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s second visit to Lebanon differs in importance from the first, given the regional contexts in which it comes.

Its importance comes as the Lebanese crisis enters a more complex stage, with US proposals raising the possibility of a Syrian role in handling the Hezbollah file.

Alloush told Enab Baladi that the visit came to achieve three main objectives. The first was to affirm that Damascus does not intend to intervene militarily in Lebanon.

It also sought to present to Lebanese officials the initiative proposed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to resolve the Lebanese crisis, and to sound out their positions on it in preparation for building on it in the next stage.

He added that one of the objectives was to translate the messages Sharaa had previously directed toward the Shiite component in Lebanon, through al-Shaibani’s meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

According to Alloush, Syria’s new administration seeks to build relations with various Lebanese forces, regardless of their previous positions on the Syrian file.

Alloush pointed out that openness to dialogue with Hezbollah represents an important element for Damascus if it wants to play a role in contributing to a solution for the Lebanese crisis.

He explained that this openness comes within a political approach based on communication with all Lebanese parties.

He noted that Syria is concerned that the situation in Lebanon could slide into more dangerous levels. In his assessment, this is pushing Damascus to encourage internal understandings among Lebanese forces, help contain tensions, and prevent them from worsening.

A “Historic Visit”

For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry published a summary of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Lebanon and described it as “historic,” noting that it witnessed a new step in the course of bilateral relations through the signing of an agreement to form the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Committee.

The ministry said the signing ceremony took place in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, between the Syrian Arab Republic, represented by Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and the Republic of Lebanon, represented by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The agreement provides for the formation of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Committee.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held a series of meetings on Thursday, July 2, with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and several political, security, and economic files.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

According to the ministry, the meeting discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries based on mutual respect and good neighborliness, enhance mechanisms for economic cooperation between them, and discuss the latest regional and international developments of common interest.

Al-Shaibani in Lebanon, Indirect Channel with Hezbollah