Lebanon sends 128 more Syrian inmates to Damascus under transfer deal

Lebanon transferred 128 Syrian prisoners to Damascus on Wednesday to serve the remainder of their sentences, a Lebanese security source told AFP. The move is the second handover under a February agreement between Beirut and Damascus, following the transfer of more than 130 detainees in March.

The pact—covering nearly 300 Syrians who have spent at least a decade in Lebanese jails—has seen at least 260 convicts moved from Roumieh prison to Syria’s Adra facility out of 356 eligible. Lebanese prisons still hold around 2,000 Syrian nationals, many awaiting trial; hundreds have faced military courts on terrorism-related charges or been detained for alleged links to anti-Assad armed groups. The detainee issue strained ties after Assad’s removal in December 2024 and was raised by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during a May visit to Damascus, where he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as reported by Middle East Eye

This story has also been reported by: SANA