Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shibani: Syria open to dialogue with Hezbollah

Syrian authorities are open to dialogue with the Lebanese group Hezbollah if it advances Damascus’s interests, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani said on Thursday. “If a meeting with Hezbollah is necessary for our interests, then we are open to it,” Al-Shibani told a press conference in Beirut after meeting Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Al-Shibani said his meeting with Berri did not discuss Hezbollah, but rather focused on opportunities to strengthen relations between the two countries. The Syrian foreign minister arrived in Beirut on Thursday for an official visit. In addition to meeting the parliament speaker, Al-Shibani also met with Lebanon’s president, prime minister, and foreign minister. The Lebanese Shia resistance group openly engaged in combat alongside Syrian army forces against armed groups in 2013. That episode became a key moment in regional tensions over Syria and continues to influence relations between Damascus and Hezbollah to this day.