Prominent Lebanese figure meets Syrian insurgent who led Assad's ouster, seeking better relations
A prominent Lebanese politician has met with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and both expressed hope Sunday for a new era in relations between their countries
BEIRUT (AP) — A prominent Lebanese politician held talks on Sunday with the insurgent who led the overthrow of Syria's President Bashar Assad, with both expressing hope for a new era in relations.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt is the most important politician from Lebanon to visit Syria since the Assad family’s 54-year rule ended two weeks ago. Jumblatt was a longtime critic of Syria's involvement in Lebanon and blamed Assad's father, former leader Hafez Assad, for the assassination of his own father.
Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Sunni Islamist rebels who swept into Damascus this month. Now wearing a suit and tie, he has been meeting diplomats and others as Assad's fall reshapes alliances and gives many long-stifled Syrians hope after more than 13 years of civil war and international sanctions.
Jumblatt, a key figure in Lebanon’s Druze minority, expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.” His father, Kamal, was killed in 1977 in an ambush near a Syrian roadblock during Syria's military intervention in Lebanon's civil war.
