Lebanon to ink deal with Syria on prisoner handover: deputy PM

Lebanon and Syria will sign a deal next week on the handover of some 300 Syrian convicts in Lebanese jails, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told AFP on Saturday.

Beirut and Damascus have sought to reset ties since Syria’s new Islamist authorities took power in late 2024, but the issue of Syrian inmates in Lebanese prisons has been a key sticking point.

The deal, which the cabinet approved on Friday, will cover around 300 Syrians convicted of crimes in Lebanon and who have served 10 or more years behind bars, Mitri told AFP.

Syria’s justice or foreign minister is expected to ink the deal, which “will be signed in Beirut next week”, Mitri said.

“The Syrian convicts will not be released, but will be handed over to their country to serve out the rest of their sentences there,” he said.

Mitri called the agreement a “major step towards resolving outstanding issues between the two countries and a real opportunity to build new ties with Syria based on trust and mutual respect, serving the interests of both countries”.

Lebanese jails hold some 2,250 Syrians, around a third of the total prison population, a judicial previously told AFP.

Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday approved an “agreement between Lebanon and Syria on the transfer of convicts”, a statement said.

On Saturday, a judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity that “all convicts who satisfy the conditions and wish to be handed over to their country must apply in writing through their legal representative” and await approval.

Eligible Syrian prisoners will be handed over “within a maximum timeframe of three months”, the official added, individually or in batches.

Hundreds of Syrian prisoners, accused of “terrorism” or related offences including attacks on Lebanese forces, have been brought before Lebanon’s military courts.

Others are in custody for alleged membership in jihadist or armed groups that were opposed to longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, and some are still awaiting trial.