Hezbollah's Naim Qassem open to Syria leadership meeting

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Tuesday that he had no objection to a public meeting with Syria's leadership, marking his first stated openness to such contact since new authorities took power in Damascus.

Qassem said in a televised address that there was “no impediment” to a meeting between Hezbollah and the Syrian leadership at a time considered appropriate by both sides. He also stressed what he called the need for positive and cooperative relations between Lebanon and Syria.

The new Syrian authorities who overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 are hostile to Hezbollah, which fought for Assad during Syria's civil war. Syria had also served as a key supply route from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon before the change in Damascus.

The Syrian authorities have repeatedly announced arrests of alleged Hezbollah-linked cells and seizures of weapons they said were headed to the group. Hezbollah denies having any presence in Syria.

In June, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that if sitting at the table with Hezbollah served Lebanon's interests and safeguarded Syria's interests, “why not?” Damascus has said it does not want to interfere militarily in Lebanon, and Sharaa has said Syria is looking for economic channels with Lebanon, not military ones.

Lebanon's army also said Tuesday that it had seized rockets smuggled from Syria into Lebanon and arrested two people allegedly involved.