Syria leader vows country will not negatively interfere in Lebanon 

DAMASCUS, Dec 22: Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Lebanese Druze leaders on Sunday that his country would not negatively interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbour's sovereignty.

Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all -- it respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability," Sharaa told visiting Druze chiefs Walid and Taymur Jumblatt.

Walid Jumblatt is the first Lebanese figure to meet Sharaa since his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied rebel factions launched a lightning offensive last month, seizing Damascus on December 8 and ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, Sharaa added, acknowledging that Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for the country.    —AFP