Syrian intelligence chief in Beirut discusses security, asks about Assad-era officials

Syrian intelligence chief Abdul Rahman Al-Dabbagh made an unannounced visit to Lebanon this week to discuss bilateral security matters, as the two countries work to mend long-strained ties.

Dabbagh was accompanied by Khaled al-Ahmad, one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s closest associates.

The Syrian officials met with Lebanon’s General Security chief Hassan Shqeir and Lebanese Army intelligence head Tony Qahwaji.

Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper close to Hezbollah, which fought alongside Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria, said Dabbagh’s visit to Beirut on Wednesday aimed to determine  whether former regime officials were in Lebanon.

After Assad’s regime fell in December last year, many high-ranking officials were said to have left for a third country via Lebanon or residing in Lebanese territory.

Damascus’s new authorities have asked Beirut to repatriate any former Assad regime officials, known in Syria as "fulool" or remnants.

According to Al-Akhbar, Dabbagh and Ahmad toured several cafes and restaurants in central Beirut to see if there were any Assad-era officials.

News site Almodon said the two were seen at a restaurant with Ali Hamieh, a former minister close to Hezbollah and an advisor to the Lebanese president.

"This is not the first time that official Syrian figures have met with Shia figures close to Hezbollah. The meeting with Hamieh is understood in the context of his role as an adviser to President Joseph Aoun," Almodon said.

It reported that discussions between the Syrian and Lebanese sides addressed "key and sensitive" issues, including border-related security and combatting terrorism.

Almodon added that Syria’s new authorities have shown notable interest in coordinating with their Lebanese counterparts to eliminate threats linked to radical Islamist factions, particularly the Islamic State group (IS).

Syrian interest goes beyond immediate coordination, extending to a broader plan to share expertise and draw on Lebanese know-how, while also seeking to have Syrian security personnel trained by Lebanese security agencies, reported Almodon.

Despite losing swathes of territory it once occupied, IS cells remain active in parts of Syria, especially the country’s vast desert. Damascus and a US-led international coalition are coordinating to clamp down on the group’s fighters.

IS has already claimed a number of attacks in Syria since Assad’s fall, the latest of which killed two US troops in the central Palmyra region.

Lebanon also remains on high alert along its border with Syria to prevent the entry of any extremist militants, as well as shutting illegal smuggling routes.

Increased efforts to reach deal

Dabbagh’s visit was the latest to Beirut by a senior Damascus official.

Political, security, and judicial delegations from both countries have made several trips to one another seeking to solve outstanding issues, including Syrian prisoners, missing Lebanese persons, and border demarcation.

After meeting with the president on Friday, Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Aoun stressed the need to study the best possible legal frameworks for reaching an agreement with Syria regarding prisoners.

"The Lebanese position affirmed a strong desire to establish the best possible relations with Syria and to enhance joint cooperation across various fields," a statement shared by the presidency said.

Syria’s new authorities have called on Lebanon to release all prisoners, arguing that many were detained merely for being anti-Assad. But Lebanese authorities have reiterated their refusal to give amnesty to Syrians found guilty of killing Lebanese servicemen.

Relations between Lebanon and Syria have been fraught for many decades. Syria had political and military tutelage over Lebanon before withdrawing its forces in 2005, and many Lebanese political parties accuse Assad and his Lebanon allies of being behind a string of assassinations.

Syria was also the main land route for weapons supplies to Hezbollah from Iran, but that was cut off with the dramatic collapse of Assad’s regime.

The new Syrian government is resentful towards Hezbollah for its role during the Syrian conflict which is believed to have killed more than half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population.