Beirut: 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. Mitri made the remarks after a Cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, chaired by President Joseph Aoun and attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Lebanese Cabinet approved an agreement with Syria providing for the transfer of more than 300 convicted Syrian prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country. This decision was announced by Mitri, who highlighted that the deal applies to inmates who have spent more than 10 years in Lebanese prisons, equating to about seven years of effective imprisonment. However, he did not disclose further details on the terms of the agreement.

On October 10, 2025, Damascus announced it had reached an agreement with Beirut to hand over Syrian detainees not convicted of murder. This announcement followed a visit to Lebanon by a delegation led by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, as reported by Alikhbariah TV. Official estimates indicate that approximately 2,500 Syrians are held in Lebanese prisons, constituting roughly one-third of Lebanon's total prison population.

On November 20, 2025, Mitri paid an official visit to Syria, meeting with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other senior officials. This visit is part of renewed diplomatic engagement aimed at addressing outstanding issues and strengthening bilateral cooperation following the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024.