Lebanon’s Cabinet has approved an agreement to transfer Syrian prisoners serving sentences in Lebanon back to Syria, in a move aimed at improving relations between the neighbouring countries. The decision was announced on Friday by Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos, who noted that other issues remain to be resolved, including the fate of Lebanese believed to have disappeared in Syrian prisons and the demarcation of the border.
The prisoner transfer has been a contentious issue since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024. Around 2,000 Syrians are held in Lebanese prisons, including some 800 detained over attacks and shootings, many without trial. Damascus had requested their return, but Lebanese judicial officials had previously insisted that each case be examined individually.
Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said that about 300 prisoners would be transferred as a result of the agreement. The deal appears to resolve a key obstacle in bilateral relations, which have been strained by historical grievances, including Syria’s occupation of Lebanon until 2005 and Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria’s civil war.
Protesters gathered outside the government palace in Beirut ahead of the Cabinet vote, calling for amnesty for Lebanese prisoners, including those who fought against Assad in Syria. Some demanded the release of Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir, imprisoned for his role in clashes that killed 18 Lebanese soldiers in 2013. Protester Khaled Al-Bobbo said: “The state found solutions for the Syrian youth who are heroes and belong to the Syrian revolution who have been imprisoned for 12 years. But in the same files there are also Lebanese detainees. We demand that just as they found solutions for the Syrians, they must also find solutions for the people of this country.”
