France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Damascus on Thursday, marking the first stop of a regional tour at a time when Paris is reassessing its anti-jihadist strategy and closely monitoring rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
Jean-Noël Barrot and Asaad al-Shaibani in Damascus on Thursday © SANA
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Damascus on Thursday, marking the first stop of a regional tour at a time when Paris is reassessing its anti-jihadist strategy and closely monitoring rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
In Damascus, Barrot met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, who thanked France for its role in easing sanctions on Syria and supporting Damascus’s return to the international stage. Talks focused on preventing a resurgence of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), ahead of a meeting of the Western anti-IS coalition scheduled for Monday in Riyadh.
The discussions also reflected the changing dynamics on the ground, as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have withdrawn from large areas of northern Syria and integrated into the Syrian army. Western countries now have to work directly with the authorities led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who came to power after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
France also intends to ensure that minorities, particularly Kurds, are integrated into Syria’s new political framework and that recent agreements protecting their rights are respected.
After Syria, Barrot is due to visit Iraq and then Beirut on Friday. In Lebanon, discussions will focus on the continued disarmament of Hezbollah under the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel in late 2024, as well as preparations for an international conference in Paris on 5 March to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces.
Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea delivered a verdict Tuesday that many Lebanese have long wanted to hear but few dared to say out loud: Hezbollah is "finished" in Lebanon, and Iran, not the Lebanese state, will foot the bill for the destruction it caused.
Lebanon has taken the extraordinary step of declaring Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani persona non grata, ordering him to leave Lebanese territory by Sunday at the latest, in a move that marks one of the most significant diplomatic ruptures in the two countries' modern history.
Israel's military will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, the first time Israel has clearly spelled out its intent to seize swathes of territory that make up nearly a tenth of Lebanon.
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