Syria and Lebanon have signed an agreement to transfer convicted prisoners between the two countries. But while the deal is significant on judicial and humanitarian grounds, its political implications are even more consequential.
The agreement represents the first tangible opening in bilateral relations since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, after decades in which both countries endured the brutality of Assad's rule. Lebanon bore the cost of Syrian regime interference, while Syrians suffered from Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria and its support for Assad during the war against them.
Building a normal relationship between the two states will not be easy, given the weight of past grievances and the uncertainties that lie ahead. Still, political will on both sides—together with confidence-building measures like the prisoner transfer—can provide the momentum and motivation to move forward.
Of course, there are those who still want to stir up trouble. In Syria, there are those who yearn for a new Anjar, the Lebanese town that once served as the nerve centre of Syrian intelligence during Damascus’s presence in Lebanon. And in Lebanon, some want the new authorities in Damascus to go after their domestic political rivals. As for Hezbollah, the group is attempting to exploit the issue to mobilise its base and others, and to inflame fears of Sunni domination in the region.
Baseless claims
Meanwhile, there have been suggestions that the new Syria will team up with Israel to strike Hezbollah. But this seems far-fetched given the fact that Syria hasn't even reached any security arrangement with Tel Aviv, and Israel continues to undermine Ahmed al-Sharaa’s authority in Syria, both politically and militarily.
