Syrian foreign minister arrives in Beirut in historic first

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in the capital Beirut on Friday, marking the first visit to Lebanon by a Cabinet minister in Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government.

Syrian news agency SANA reported that Shaibani arrived in Beirut accompanied by a delegation to meet with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Foreign Minister Youssef Raji.

The occasion not only marks Shaibani's first official visit to Lebanon since he took office but also the first official visit by a senior Syrian official to Lebanon since the new government was formed in Damascus this March.

In April, the Lebanese prime minister met with Sharaa in Damascus, in the first visit by a Lebanese official since Sharaa took office, and discussed several issues of mutual concern, most notably the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanon.