The Lebanese ministerial delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri arrived in Syria on Monday, 2 November. She met Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Hassan al-Shaibani at Tichrine Palace in Damascus. Bilateral meetings were then held between the ministers of the two countries, each on matters falling within their competence.
The Minister of Labour, Mohammad Haidar, wished to clarify the framework for his participation. Appointed to the government by Hezbollah, he said at the border crossing of Jdeidet Yabous that his displacement was a matter of « ministerial work that had nothing to do with any partisan affiliation ».
Lebanese delegation in Damascus addresses refugees
The issue of Syrian refugees was one of the topics of the visit. The Minister of Social Affairs, Hanine El Sayed, told Al-Jadeed television that the members of the delegation would discuss this with their Syrian interlocutors. Minister of Education Rima Karami also participates in the trip.
Tarek Mitri, for his part, said he expected « positive results » of the exchanges. The arrival in Damascus marks the transition from preparations to direct discussions between government officials. The sectoral sessions are intended to address common issues at the level of the relevant ministries.
Haidar distinguishes his function from his political affiliation
The Minister of Labour’s statement explicitly places his participation in relations between the two States. He spoke as a member of the Lebanese official delegation, not as a representative of Hezbollah. His remarks therefore do not constitute the announcement of a separate approach by the movement to the Syrian authorities.
The information provided on this first stage of the visit does not detail the measures envisaged for refugees. They also do not mention an agreement signed after the first meetings. The concrete results remain to be determined at the end of the bilateral exchanges in Damascus.
Source
Naharnet, 2 November 2026 at 2:11 p.m.: « Hizbullah ministry among Lebanon delegation in Syria ».
Credit Line
Tarek Mitri, an archival portrait published by Libnanews. This photograph does not represent the current visit to Damascus. Photographer not indicated on source page. Libnanews graphic composition, whole photo simply resized.Photo source Libnanews.
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