Asaad Al-Shibani Visits Beirut, Says Syria Is Open to Hezbollah Talks

Syria and Lebanon sought to distance Damascus from any future role in confronting Hezbollah as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani visited Beirut and met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

After meeting Salam, Shibani was asked whether Beirut would accept Syrian involvement in Lebanon's security if the US pushed for it, and Salam declined to answer directly saying, "I think His Excellency President Ahmed al-Sharaa has already answered this question."

Al-Jazeera Net

In a statement after meeting Shibani, Aoun said the Syrian foreign minister confirmed “Syria’s intent to build sound state-to-state relations based on mutual respect and noninterference.”

Asked whether Damascus would be willing to meet with Hezbollah in the future, Shibani indicated it would not rule out such contacts, saying, “If the interest requires a meeting with Hezbollah, we are open to it.”

The comments came as US President Donald Trump had suggested Syria could take a role in fighting Hezbollah, including saying he was “close to giving it over to Syria.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the Syrian stance that Damascus has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon, after Trump’s remarks suggested a possible Syrian role in confronting Hezbollah.

In a statement carried by the Lebanese presidency, Shibani told Aoun he wanted "to clear up the confusion sparked by reports of a potential Syrian military intervention in Lebanon," and said "Syria had no intention of undertaking such a move".

Al-Jazeera Net

After meeting Nabih Berri, Shibani told reporters that the Hezbollah file was not raised during their talks, while also saying, "if the mutual interest requires a meeting with Hezbollah, we are open to it."

The visit also included meetings with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and other Lebanese figures, and it came as Syria and Lebanon sought to open a new page in relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Naharnet said Shibani later met with leaders including Walid Jumblat, Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel, and Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, as the new Syrian authorities announced arrests of alleged Hezbollah-linked cells.

While diplomacy unfolded in Beirut, The New Arab reported that an explosion at a cafe in central Damascus killed nine people and wounded 20, according to Syrian authorities.

The blast took place near the capital's Palace of Justice, and state television said, "The explosion that occurred in a cafe near the Palace of Justice in Damascus resulted from an explosive device planted in the location," after earlier reporting that authorities were seeking to determine the source of the blast.

Syrian Civil Defense teams said they were responding to the incident and working towards securing the site "while taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of civilians."

Maher Marwan, governor of Damascus, said those responsible for the explosion in a cafe in the capital will be held to account, telling an Al Jazeera reporter, “The coming hours will reveal everything and those who shed the blood of Syrians will pay, but Syria will be well as long as we are one hand, and this will not shake the Syrian state,”.

The New Arab also placed the cafe blast among attacks in Damascus since the new authorities took over after the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, including an attack on a Damascus church in June 2025 that killed 25 people.