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Russian Envoy Visits Iran to Consolidate Stability in Syria

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
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Russian Envoy Visits Iran to Consolidate Stability in Syria

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian presidential envoy to Syria, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for high-level discussions aimed at bolstering coordination between Moscow and Tehran on developments in the Middle East and promoting regional stability.

A Russian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit comes as part of “Moscow’s broader efforts to stabilize the region and prevent foreign interference aimed at undermining its security.”

The source added that Russia is seeking to “normalize relations between regional actors” to lay the groundwork for long-term stability.

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Lavrentiev met in Tehran with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and held separate talks with Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister.

An Iranian statement carried by Russian state media said the talks reaffirmed the shared position of Moscow and Tehran on developments in the Middle East, stressing the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, defending its sovereignty, and preventing the country from becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.

While the discussions also addressed the reimposition of European sanctions on Iran in connection with its nuclear program, the timing of Lavrentiev’s visit drew particular attention. It followed just days after Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's visit to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

Analysts have linked the two visits, noting Lavrentiev’s longstanding role in managing discussions on the Syrian conflict through the Astana peace process.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on the visit, and details have largely come from Iranian sources.

However, experts in Moscow view the trip as part of a Russian push to encourage Iran to refrain from interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.

The Russian diplomatic source explained that Lavrentiev’s visit reflects Moscow’s strategy to normalize relations among all states in the Middle East, including Iran, which it views as a “major regional power.”

Russia has a direct security interest in maintaining stability in its near neighborhood, he remarked.

He underlined that Iran, alongside Türkiye, has been a key partner in years-long efforts to reach a political settlement in Syria. Through the Astana framework, the parties have coordinated to ease tensions, uphold ceasefires, and reduce the suffering of civilians.

“With the end of the previous era and the arrival of a new Syrian administration,” the diplomat said, “there is a growing need for continued coordination among various regional actors, particularly Russia, Türkiye, Iran, and the Gulf states, to ensure security and stability throughout the region.”

He added that Moscow is seeking to counter any external schemes aimed at destabilizing the Middle East, pointing specifically to “Israeli expansionist policies and US attempts to impose direct hegemony over the region.”

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Arab World

Gaza Envoy Says Hamas Not Asked to 'Disappear as a Political Movement' but Must Disarm

A still from a video published by Hamas's military media showing an Al-Qassam Brigades fighter during the October 7, 2023 attack (Reuters)
A still from a video published by Hamas's military media showing an Al-Qassam Brigades fighter during the October 7, 2023 attack (Reuters)
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Gaza Envoy Says Hamas Not Asked to 'Disappear as a Political Movement' but Must Disarm

A still from a video published by Hamas's military media showing an Al-Qassam Brigades fighter during the October 7, 2023 attack (Reuters)
A still from a video published by Hamas's military media showing an Al-Qassam Brigades fighter during the October 7, 2023 attack (Reuters)

The Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza on Wednesday said Hamas may remain as a political force on the condition that it lays down its weapons.

"We are asking the political leadership of those who govern Gaza now to step aside. This is required by the Security Council resolution in the 20-point plan," said Nickolay Mladenov during a press conference in Jerusalem, referring to the peace plan for the territory, AFP reported.

"We are not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement. A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections. What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias... can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian authority," he said.

Arab World

Formation of Lebanese-Syrian Higher Business Council to Revive Economic Relations

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Damascus (Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Damascus (Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office)
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Formation of Lebanese-Syrian Higher Business Council to Revive Economic Relations

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Damascus (Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Damascus (Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office)

Lebanon and Syria are expected in the coming weeks to translate the agreements and understandings reached during the recent visit of the Lebanese prime minister to Damascus into a series of measures and decisions to be issued successively, underscoring a clear decision by both states to move their relationship to a new level of cooperation and coordination after years of a strained relationship that negatively affected both sides.

Among the most prominent steps already under way is the formation of the “Lebanese-Syrian Higher Business Council,” aimed at revitalizing economic and trade relations between the two countries and involving the private sector.

Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat explained that “talks on establishing this council began some time ago, and it was agreed that its first meeting would be held at the end of June.” He noted that “it will comprise representatives from the private sector, while the Economy Ministry will oversee it, support and monitor its work, help set its agenda, and provide guidance.”

Bisat stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat the “importance of Lebanese-Syrian relations given that the two countries are bound by geography and history, and therefore advancing these relations is a strategic objective for our government.”

He added: “Institutional economic relations with Syria require modernization, or even a rebuild from scratch. It can now be said that matters have been placed on the right track, and we have embarked on a path that may be long.”

Bisat said the Syrian state had met Lebanon’s desire to improve bilateral relations with “welcome, commitment, and positive will,” explaining that “both sides are convinced that Syria’s success is part of Lebanon’s success, and vice versa, and that the relations being built today are based on shared interests, new and healthy foundations, and mutual respect.”

Abolishing the Higher Council

In October 2025, Syria announced the suspension of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council, a body established under the “Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination” between Lebanon and Syria, signed in 1991. The treaty marked “a major turning point” in relations between the two countries, as it entrenched “Syrian tutelage” over Lebanon, which continued until the withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005.

According to an official Lebanese source, the treaty and the council “are effectively no longer in existence, although legal steps are still expected to be taken in this regard.”

Professor Maroun Khater, a writer and researcher in financial and economic affairs, said that “talk of establishing a new higher business council between Lebanon and Syria goes beyond the technical economic dimension to reopening the broader question of the nature of bilateral relations themselves.”

He noted that “Lebanon’s experience with the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council, which emerged under the Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination Agreement signed in 1991, remained highly controversial in Lebanon because of the major imbalance in power relations and the political and security overlap that, in most cases, undermined the concept of a normal relationship between two independent states.”

“Based on that,” he added, “no new economic or institutional framework can succeed unless it begins with a deep critical review of the experience of those agreements and the flaws that accompanied their implementation.”

He continued: “Any attempt to conclude new agreements or establish modern frameworks for cooperation will remain incomplete unless the issue of revoking and abolishing the Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination Agreement in its current form, which is unfair to Lebanon, is clearly addressed.”

Organizing Economic Relations

Khater stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the need to organize economic relations between the two countries is realistic and necessary given geography and the deep strategic economic interconnection.”

He explained that “higher business councils are usually established to provide a permanent institutional platform for dialogue between the public and private sectors and to follow up on issues related to trade, investment, energy, transport, border crossings, and customs coordination, in addition to removing obstacles to the movement of goods and capital.”

As for the outstanding economic issues between the two countries, Khater said they are “numerous and accumulated, foremost among them the smuggling of weapons, goods, and money, as well as illicit trade through illegal crossings and tunnels, which has drained the Lebanese economy for decades.”

He added that the issue of overland transit, which represents a vital artery for Lebanese exports to the Gulf, also remains key.

“Energy, and the imports of gas and electricity through Syrian territory, also stands out, in addition to customs cooperation, fees, and financial coordination, which has become complicated and opaque following the international sanctions previously imposed on Syria,” he said.

“Among the most prominent issues are the exchange of security information and the issue of Syrian refugees, which remains one of the most sensitive matters given the heavy economic, social, and financial repercussions it has imposed on Lebanon,” he added.

Arab World

Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon, 8 Dead in Attacks on Cars South of Beirut

Lebanese rescuers and army soldiers inspect the wreckage of a vehicle that was hit in an Israeli strike in Jiyeh town, south of Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese rescuers and army soldiers inspect the wreckage of a vehicle that was hit in an Israeli strike in Jiyeh town, south of Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon, 8 Dead in Attacks on Cars South of Beirut

Lebanese rescuers and army soldiers inspect the wreckage of a vehicle that was hit in an Israeli strike in Jiyeh town, south of Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
Lebanese rescuers and army soldiers inspect the wreckage of a vehicle that was hit in an Israeli strike in Jiyeh town, south of Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes across southern Lebanon Wednesday, despite a truce with the Lebanese government to halt fighting with Hezbollah.

"The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon," the military said, hours after issuing fresh evacuation warnings for six villages in the Tyre region.

 

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern area of Burj al-Shamali, as seen from the city of Tyre on May 13, 2026. (Photo by KAWANT HAJU / AFP)

 

Israeli strikes also targeted several cars on a major highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon, state media reported.

The attacks took place near Jiyeh and Barja. Eight people, including a woman and her child, were killed in the attacks, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center said.

On Saturday, similar strikes targeted two other cars in the same area.

Israel has kept up airstrikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah despite a truce since April 17 aimed at halting the fighting.

On Tuesday, 13 people were killed in attacks on towns in the south, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which said a total of 380 people had been killed since the start of the ceasefire.

The violence came with Lebanon and Israel due to hold a new round of direct negotiations in Washington on Thursday, brokered by the United States.