Syria's new leader vows not to negatively interfere in Lebanon
The Hindu
Syria's new leader Muhammad al-Jolani vows not to interfere in Lebanon, strengthening regional ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Muhammad al-Jolani (Ahmed al-Sharaa) has stepped up regional contacts, vowing in a meeting on Sunday (December 22, 2024) not to "negatively" interfere in neighbouring Lebanon.
Jolani also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, video released by the Anadolu state news agency showed, after Ankara-backed militants played a key role in supporting his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Damascus on December 8 and ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Turkiye's Foreign Ministry released no details of where the meeting took place in the Syrian capital.
Turkiye has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders, and Ankara's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was in Damascus just four days after Mr. Assad fell.
Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is also in direct contact with Syria's new authorities, having supported the opposition to Mr. Assad for years during Syria's civil war, and will send a delegation to the country soon, Syria's Ambassador in Riyadh said.
During his meeting with visiting Lebanese Druze chiefs Walid and Taymur Jumblatt, Jolani said Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all".
He added that Damascus "respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability".
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Syria's new leader Muhammad al-Jolani vows not to interfere in Lebanon, strengthening regional ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
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