Lebanon’s Prisoner Transfer Deal Masks Deeper Regional Risks for America

Lebanon’s recent Cabinet approval of a deal to transfer Syrian prisoners back to Damascus is more than a routine bureaucratic maneuver—it reflects the shifting sands of Middle Eastern geopolitics with direct implications for American national security and the principles of sovereignty and justice. The transfer involves roughly 300 prisoners, part of an estimated 2,000 Syrians detained in Lebanon, many accused of attacks linked to Syria's long-standing conflict. On paper, this might look like a pragmatic step toward improving relations between two neighbors with a fraught history. But beneath the surface lies a troubling affirmation of regimes that have repeatedly undermined...