Agreement signed on transferring 300 Syrian prisoners from Lebanon to their homeland

(Patria) - Lebanon and Syria signed an agreement on Friday to transfer more than 300 Syrians from Lebanese prisons to continue serving their sentences in their homeland, AP reported.

The signing followed a week after the Lebanese cabinet approved an agreement with Syria on the transfer of prisoners. The agreement was signed at the government headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, by Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais.

"This is a very important first step on the path to comprehensive treatment of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese prisons," Mitri told reporters, adding that the implementation of the agreement would begin on Saturday.

"Both countries want to move forward, but there are some unresolved issues," al-Wais said.

"This step will strengthen existing trust and we hope that relations will continue to progress."
Mitri said that officials from the two neighboring countries would now discuss the transfer of Syrian detainees who are still awaiting trial in Lebanon.

Lebanon and Syria have a complex history, with grievances on both sides. Many Lebanese are bitter about nearly three decades of Syrian dominance and military presence in their country, which ended in 2005.

Many Syrians are bitter about the role played by the Lebanese group Hezbollah when it entered the war in Syria that broke out in 2011 in defense of then-President Bashar al-Assad and his government. Assad was overthrown in December 2024 and fled to Russia where he is now in exile.

Following Assad's fall, relations with the new Syrian authorities, led by Islamists, remained tense, and clashes occurred along the unmarked border between the two nations.
Mitri also said that Saturday's signing was "an expression of common political will that states that Lebanese-Syrian relations are based on trust and mutual respect".

When asked if the agreement would include Lebanese citizens such as Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Assir, Mitri said it only covered Syrian prisoners.
There are about 2,500 Syrian prisoners in Lebanese prisons and detention centers, some of whom were detained on charges related to their involvement in armed opposition groups that sought to overthrow Assad - in some cases, the same groups that now rule Syria.

Earlier this week, Mitri told AP that most of the detainees to be transferred to Syria had not been convicted of violent crimes. Some convicted of violent crimes may be transferred if they have already served seven and a half years of their sentence in Lebanon, he said.