Lebanon-Syria Talks Reveal Persistent Risks to Regional Stability and U.S. Interests

In a development that may appear as diplomatic progress on the surface, Lebanon and Syria have agreed to establish two committees tasked with resolving the fate of nearly 2,000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails, accounting for missing Lebanese nationals in Syria, and settling their shared unmarked border disputes. While these talks are framed as steps toward reconciliation following Syria's recent government transition — with a delegation including former Cabinet ministers and the head of Syria's National Commission for Missing Persons visiting Beirut — a closer examination reveals ongoing challenges that threaten long-term American strategic interests in the Middle East....