Shaibani enters Lebanon through the front door

Few relationships are as sensitive as the one between Syria and Lebanon. The phrase most often repeated during al-Shaibani's meetings in Beirut was "political will"—meaning the shared determination to forge optimal relations between the two states. But still main lingering points of contention need to be ironed out.

Lingering issues

One important issue is border security. The fall of the Assad regime deprived Iran of its land corridor that helped traffic weapons from Iran to Lebanon via Iraq and Syria. Among the conditions to end the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024 was Lebanon's promise to secure the border with Syria and prevent both arms and drug smuggling from occurring.

Lebanese are seeking answers and closure after decades of not knowing the fate of their family members forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime. Justice is also being sought for the string of political assassinations that the former regime carried out against Lebanese politicians and journalists. And then there is the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons. Concrete progress is said to be gradually unfolding.

Another encouraging step has been Damascus's dissolution of the Higher Syrian-Lebanese Council just a day before al-Shaibani visited Lebanon—a move that was long overdue.

During his visit, al-Shaibani held meetings with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri. Notably, however, al-Shaibani did not meet with longtime Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri of the Shiite Amal Party. Rumours began swirling as to why the two men didn't meet, given Berri's important stature in the Lebanese political landscape.

Upfront approach

In Lebanon, speculation is rife and in Syria, a new state struggles to rise. To this end, Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he wants to pursue a "zero-problems strategy" with Syria's neighbours, saying that "the best way forward is to enter homes through their front doors. For ideas to succeed, they must be discussed with those who hold the power to realise them."

For the first time in a long time, there is a political will in both Beirut and Damascus to turn a new page and to begin the difficult process of healing the wounds of the past. But this reconciliation process needs to be carefully nurtured, or it risks falling apart.