1 p.m. recap: High-level Syrian delegation expected in Beirut; Salam rallies for Lebanon at UN; 150 killed in Yemen
Here are the main developments in Lebanon and the region on Tuesday afternoon.
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayTop story
Six Syrian ministers and several senior officials are expected in Beirut on Tuesday to discuss economic issues, including the development of public services and investments.
This is the most significant Syrian government delegation in ranking to visit Beirut since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, marking a new phase in the rapprochement between the two countries.
According to official Syrian media, the delegation will include the ministers of economy and industry, agriculture, tourism, education, transport, and health. The head of the Civil Aviation Authority, the head of the Syrian Investment Authority, and the general manager of the Syrian Petroleum Company will also join, along with other officials and representatives of major government organizations.
The delegation will hold expanded meetings chaired by Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri before holding direct sectoral meetings with their Lebanese counterparts.
Why it matters
After the regime change in Syria, which also occupied Lebanon from 1976 to 2005, relations between Beirut and Damascus have entered a much calmer phase than in recent decades. Officials from the two neighboring countries have made several visits to Syria and Lebanon since early 2025.
The latest came in July, when Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani made his second visit to Lebanon, which led to the creation of the Lebanese-Syrian commission known as the "Joint High Lebanese-Syrian Commission."
It remains to be seen whether this new visit will produce concrete agreements or create additional bilateral commissions to follow up on outstanding issues. The two countries already reached an initial agreement last February to repatriate 300 Syrian Islamist detainees held in Lebanese prisons.
What to watch for this Tuesday:
- Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was expected to continue his diplomatic tour in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, pushing for an alternative to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Its mandate expires Dec. 31, 2026, amid ongoing Israeli attacks, demolitions, and occupation in south Lebanon.
- A possible meeting between Salam and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is traveling to New York with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, could take place, according to Al-Modon. It would mark the first meeting between officials from the two countries since the resumption of an Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon on March 2, following the Israeli-American offensive against Iran on Feb. 28.
- During his meeting Monday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Salam called for maintaining an "international presence under United Nations auspices" in the south of the country after UNIFIL's withdrawal.
- As announced after the preparatory meeting in Paris on Sept. 17, a new international conference to support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces is expected to take place "at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027."
Also in the news:
- The Israeli army continued its overnight bombings and daily demolitions in areas it occupies in south Lebanon. Israeli troops continued their systematic destruction of the coastal village of Mansouri in the Sour district, carrying out at least 17 demolitions overnight.
- Yemen's civil war between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels has killed 154 people over the past two days, military sources on both sides told AFP. Saudi strikes and government attacks killed 118 people out of the 154.
- Saudi Arabia briefly warned Tuesday of the risk of attacks in the Najran region in the south of the kingdom, near the Yemeni border. The warning came after a rare attack on the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday.
- Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamny announced that a complaint was filed with the public prosecutor's office at the Court of Cassation over flooding in the Mkalles area of eastern Beirut last Friday. Several dozen centimeters of rainwater covered roads in the area, presumably because of upstream construction in Mansourieh. Autumn rains cause extensive flooding on the country's roads each year.
- Justice Minister Adel Nassar was visiting Nabatieh on Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit the city's courthouse, whose surrounding area Israel continues to bomb regularly. Two weeks ago, after the Israeli army took control of the Ali Taher hill and residents expressed fears of an Israeli offensive, authorities pledged to deploy security forces and the army to restore public administration in the area.
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