Skip to main content

Lebanon to work with Syria to strengthen borders

1 min Mena Today

Lebanon and Syria will work together to secure their land borders, as well as to delineate both land and sea borders, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday in Damascus

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meet with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, January 11, 2025 © Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati meet with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, January 11, 2025 © Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham

Lebanon and Syria will work together to secure their land borders, as well as to delineate both land and sea borders, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday in Damascus.

In the first trip by a Lebanese prime minister to neighbouring Syria in 15 years, Mikati addressed a joint news conference in Damscus with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa said they had discussed issues including smuggling between the two countries, border challenges, and Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks.

Both sides agreed to establish committees to address these matters and provide support.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, said following his election on Thursday that there was a historic opportunity for "serious and equitable dialogue" with Syria.

For much of the Assad family's five decades in power, Syria held significant influence over Lebanon, maintaining a military presence there for 29 years until 2005 in the face of widespread opposition from many Lebanese.

Reporting by Tala Ramadan

Related

Syria

EU eyes deeper ties with Syria, warns over Russian role

The European Union is weighing a broad upgrade in ties with Syria, including security sector reform, investment and a revival of a long-frozen trade accord, according to an EU document seen by Reuters, as the bloc seeks to draw Damascus closer to Europe and counter lingering Russian influence after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

Gaza

F1 champion visits Gaza border

Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton arrived in Egypt's El Arish on Tuesday to see first hand efforts to receive humanitarian and relief aid bound for the Gaza Strip.

Iran

Who’s Running Iran? Lunatics with Missiles

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday that the US would keep imposing "devastating" economic costs on Iran, saying it had options beyond war or agreeing to unacceptable Iranian demands, four G7 diplomats said.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.