Syrian foreign minister says Damascus open to meeting Hezbollah

Published July 2, 2026 Updated July 2, 2026 04:33pm

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is in Lebanon and has met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Al Jazeera reports.

The former rebel fighters who now govern Syria fought against Hezbollah for years as it was deployed there to support former President Bashar al-Assad. It would be the first time the two sides meet.

Al-Shaibani says Syria is open to meeting Hezbollah representatives “if interests require ⁠it”, Lebanon’s National News Agency reports.

His visit comes as Damascus insists it does not want to intervene militarily in Lebanon despite pressure from the United States to do so.

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