Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani arrived in Beirut on Friday, marking the first visit by a senior Syrian official since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

During his trip, al-Shibani is expected to hold talks with top Lebanese officials aimed at reactivating diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.

Upon arrival, the Syrian minister reaffirmed Damascus’s “respect for Lebanon and its sovereignty,” expressing his country’s desire to “move past previous obstacles and build an advanced political and economic partnership that serves both nations.”