The media office of the Lebanese Prime Minister announced that Prime Minister Najib Mikati will head to Syria on Saturday for an official visit, marking the first since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The office stated that “the visit comes in response to an invitation extended by the leader of the new administration in Syria, Ahmad al-Shara.”

The visit coincides with rising tensions along the border following clashes between the Lebanese army and Syrian gunmen, leading to increased security measures from the Syrian side amid intensified smuggling activities along Lebanon’s eastern border.