Lebanon to hand over more than 300 Syrian prisoners to Damascus

Lebanon plans to transfer more than 300 Syrian prisoners to Syria under a bilateral agreement between the two countries, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said on Friday.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, Mitri said ministers approved a deal that allows convicted Syrian inmates to complete the remainder of their sentences in their home country.

The agreement applies to prisoners who have spent more than 10 years in Lebanese jails, which Mitri said is equivalent to about seven years of effective imprisonment. He did not provide further details on how or when the transfers would take place.

The Cabinet session was chaired by President Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Damascus said on 10 October 2025 that it had reached an earlier agreement with Beirut to receive Syrian detainees who were not convicted of murder, following a visit to Lebanon by a delegation led by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Lebanese officials estimate that around 2,500 Syrians are currently held in Lebanese prisons, accounting for roughly one-third of the country’s total prison population.

The move comes amid renewed diplomatic engagement between the two neighbours following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, including Mitri’s official visit to Syria in November 2025 for talks with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other senior officials.

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