Beirut has formally asked the Syrian government to cooperate in providing information on a series of political assassinations that shook Lebanon in the 2000s and targeted officials opposed to the Assad regime.
The request coincided with the arrival in Beirut on Wednesday of a Syrian judicial delegation and members of the National Commission for the Missing to continue talks on the release of Syrian prisoners held in Lebanon. The new authorities in Damascus have been pressing the issue for months.
Hundreds of Syrian inmates remain in Lebanese detention, many without completed legal proceedings, particularly in the Central Prison in Roumieh. Both sides have exchanged delegations in recent months to discuss the matter.
A Lebanese official told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Beirut had presented the Syrian side with a list of Lebanese figures assassinated during the period of Syrian dominance over Lebanon, cases that remain unresolved.
The two countries share a long and fraught political history.
Syria played a central role in Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, and its military and political tutelage in Lebanon lasted until 2005, when it withdrew following the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, widely blamed at the time on Damascus and its allies in Lebanon.
Subsequent years saw a wave of assassinations of political, military, media, and religious figures critical of Syria and Hezbollah, its Lebanese ally.
The Lebanese official said Beirut had requested "all documents, information, and evidence" related to political killings from the 1977 assassination of Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt up to the 2021 killing of activist Lokman Slim.
"We requested that the new Syrian state, under the leadership of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, provide us with all documents, information, and evidence it possesses regarding the assassinations that occurred in Lebanon," said the Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Syrian delegation reportedly expressed willingness to cooperate.
Earlier this year, Syrian authorities arrested a former intelligence officer from the Assad era accused of involvement in several killings, including Jumblatt’s.
Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri stated that the Lebanese-Syrian legal and judicial committees "discussed a preliminary draft of a judicial cooperation agreement between the two countries".
On the issue of prisoners, Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the two sides had discussed a draft judicial cooperation agreement.
According to his office, they exchanged lists of detainees, including those charged with crimes in Lebanon and others held for political reasons.
According to information obtained by The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, "the Syrian side is insisting on resolving the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, particularly prisoners of conscience.
"Lists of their names have been prepared, and Damascus does not object to implementing the process in phases," it said.
Lebanon has indicated readiness to release detainees not convicted of crimes, while insisting it will continue to hold those accused of terrorism or attacks on its security forces.
The Syrian delegation also visited Roumieh prison and held talks with Lebanon’s commission for the missing and disappeared.
Thousands of Lebanese went missing during the civil war, many believed to have been taken to Syria. Some Lebanese nationals returned after the fall of the Assad regime last year, but the fate of many others remains unresolved.
Talks also covered border demarcation, cross-border smuggling, and the return of Syrian refugees.
A new phase of Lebanon’s UN-backed plan to repatriate refugees began on Thursday, with thousands reported to have returned since Assad’s fall. Saudi Arabia is also mediating efforts to finalise the border demarcation between the two countries.