Asaad Al Shibani Receives Hero’s Welcome In Tripoli As Supporters Chant For Ahmad Al Shara

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani was carried on the shoulders of supporters through the streets of Tripoli as hundreds gathered along the entrances to the city and outside Dar Al Fatwa, chanting slogans in support of Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara during his convoy arrival.

The National News Agency quoted Al Shibani describing the visit as a "gesture of loyalty" to the people of Tripoli, saying, "I want to thank the people of Tripoli for their warm welcome."

Al-Jazeera Net

During the visit, Al Shibani attended a meeting with Tripoli Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Imam, Akkar Mufti Sheikh Zaid Bakkar Zakaria, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, politicians, Christian and Muslim clerics, and business leaders.

The National said the visit illustrated a shift in relations between Lebanon's Sunni heartland and Syria since the downfall of Bashar Al Assad, and it noted that Tripoli had become a strong centre of support for the uprising against Al Assad's regime during Syria's civil war.

L'Orient Today reported that videos circulating since Thursday evening showed Al Shibani hoisted onto supporters' shoulders by a cheering crowd in Tripoli, and it said more than 1,500 people took part in the public welcome for the Syrian foreign minister.

Days after Lebanon signed a US-brokered framework agreement with Israel, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Beirut with a message that Syria wants a new relationship with Lebanon built on state institutions rather than political influence.

Nowlebanon said Al-Shaibani met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, religious authorities, and other political figures as Damascus sought to project an image of openness to all of Lebanon.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi

Nowlebanon also quoted President Joseph Aoun revealing that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had repeatedly assured him that Syria "will not play the role it played in the past" and would stand "with all Lebanese rather than with one side against another."

The National News Agency, as quoted by The National, said Al Shibani assured Lebanese officials that Damascus has no intention of returning to the decades-long policy of influencing Lebanon's internal affairs.

In a separate account, Al Jazeera Net said Shibani concluded his visit to Lebanon with a stop in Tripoli amid a popular reception welcoming the first visit by a Syrian official to the city since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024.

The National and Nowlebanon both described the signing of an agreement establishing a Syrian-Lebanese Higher Committee, with The National saying it was announced earlier in the day and Nowlebanon describing it as a new Lebanese-Syrian Higher Joint Committee.

Nowlebanon said the new body replaces the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council established in 1991 under Hafez al-Assad, and it framed the replacement as reflecting an attempt to shift from a model of political oversight to cooperation between two sovereign states.

In Tripoli, L'Orient Today quoted Tripoli MP Ashraf Rifi saying, "This is an expression of our joy after the end of the Assad era, which committed crimes and spilled much blood in the city," linking the welcome to the end of the Assad era in the city.

Lovin.co reported that during the visit Al-Shibani stated that his visit carried an important message from President Ahmad al-Sharaa and that Syria is actively engaged with the Lebanese government on sensitive issues affecting both Syrian and non-Syrian detainees.

Lovin.co added that Al-Shibani said a judicial path is already underway for Syrian detainees, aimed at releasing them or handing them over, and that he expressed openness to discussing the cases of non-Syrian detainees, especially those detained in support of the Syrian revolution.