Syrian foreign minister's visit opens cautious channel to Hezbollah amid US pressure

Syrian foreign minister's visit opens cautious channel to Hezbollah amid US pressure Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's second official visit to Lebanon carried a significance that went well beyond the formal meetings on his schedule. Unlike his first trip to Beirut following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, this visit included a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the leader of the Amal Movement and Hezbollah's closest political ally. The meeting came after a series of controversial statements by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Syria could be asked to "take care of" Hezbollah, and amid growing pressure on Damascus to assume a role in confronting the Lebanese group. For Beirut, the visit offered additional reassurance that Syria's new administration did not intend to respond to that pressure by intervening militarily in Lebanon. Read more: Syrian foreign minister's visit opens cautious channel to Hezbollah amid US pressure Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Beirut on 2 July 2026 (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)