Arab League debuts for new Lebanon and Syria leaders reflect profound regional shift

The Arab League summit in Cairo concluded on Tuesday with a unified stance on Gaza’s reconstruction, endorsing Egypt’s $53 billion plan to rebuild the enclave, while rejecting any proposals that involve Palestinian displacement.

Leaders from the Arab region came together to counter US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians should be forced out of Gaza so that it could be rebuilt as a US-run “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The summit saw the participation of two notable newcomers: Syrian interim President Ahmad Al Shara, amid Syria’s full return to the Arab diplomatic fold, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, attending his first regional summit since taking office in January.

As the emergency summit began, Bahrain's King Hamad welcomed the Syrian and Lebanese presidents on behalf of all attendees. Both presidents brought priorities that diverge from their Tehran-aligned predecessors, reflecting the shifting dynamics in the Middle East.

Syria and Lebanon are seeking to enhance their relations with Arab nations. Both countries' leaders chose Saudi Arabia as the destination for their first foreign visits.

The war-torn nations are in need of foreign assistance for postwar reconstruction, as they continue to reel from deep economic crises.

“For both Al Shara and Aoun, political and economic survival now hinges on their ability to secure support from the Arab and Western anti-Iranian camp rather than relying solely on Tehran’s diminishing leverage,” Imad Salamey, senior Middle East policy adviser and associate professor of political science at the Lebanese American University, told The National.

During Bashar Al Assad's rule, Syria was suspended from the Arab League over his deadly 2011 crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which spiralled into civil war. Syria under Mr Al Assad was readmitted to the bloc in 2023 after years of regional isolation.

But the regime of the former president fell in December at the hands of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, under the leadership of Mr Al Shara.

Mr Al Assad has fled to Moscow and a transitional government has been established in Syria. Since then, regional and global powers have re-engaged with Damascus, with its new leadership taking part in high-level international conferences.

“Syria is now in its rightful place – among its brotherly nations and within the Arab fold,” Mr Al Shara told Al Arabiya TV on the sidelines of the summit.

Stability in Damascus remains a priority for many in the region. Under Mr Al Assad, Syria served as a land corridor to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, anchoring Tehran’s influence in the Levant.

His ousting was a major blow to Iran, disrupting its regional strategy and weakening its “Axis of Resistance”. Losing Syria meant Iran faced setbacks in supplying Hezbollah and maintaining a direct front against Israel.

The Lebanese militant group is today weaker than at any point previously after a year-long war with Israel, which resulted in the destruction of its infrastructure, the elimination of its leadership and the infiltration of its security apparatus.

Decades of military and economic investment in Mr Al Assad’s survival were undermined, forcing Tehran to reassess its regional posture. Domestically, it fuelled debates over Iran's costly foreign interventions, while externally, it emboldened its foe, Israel.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah’s military defeat enabled the election of a new president and the appointment of a prime minister who are more invested in strengthening relations with the US and neighbouring Arab states, while being far less constrained by Iranian influence.

Since assuming leadership, Mr Al Shara has taken steps to address smuggling along the Syria-Lebanon border and said his country would not interfere in its neighbour’s affairs.

Mr Al Shara and Mr Aoun’s participation in the Arab summit emphasised the profound shift taking place in the Arab region, Neil Quilliam, associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the UK-based Chatham House think tank, told The National.

“With Iran firmly on the back foot, Arab states recognise the need to step up and play a more dynamic role in supporting regional security and development,” he said.

Mr Salamey said that Beirut and Damascus are prioritising stability and economic recovery over the ideological battles that defined previous leaderships. “This signals a potential opening for stronger Arab co-operation and a recalibration of Lebanon and Syria’s roles in the region.”

While Mr Aoun and Mr Al Shara had spoken by phone in February, Tuesday marked their first in-person meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

“President Aoun and Syria’s President Shara tackled several issues,” the Lebanese presidency said on X on Tuesday, adding that they agreed on “the need to control the border between the two countries.”

Syria shares a 330km border with Lebanon, with no official demarcation at various points, rendering it porous and prone to smuggling.

Assertive speeches

At the summit, Mr Aoun said Lebanon “has suffered greatly but has learnt from its sufferings”.

“It has learnt not to be at the mercy of other people’s wars. It has learnt not to be a headquarters or a corridor for foreign policies. It is also not a stronghold for occupations, tutelage or hegemony,” he said.

“We, as Arabs, must all be strong for Palestine to be strong,” Mr Aoun added. “When Beirut is occupied, Damascus is destroyed, Amman is threatened, Baghdad is in pain, or Sanaa falls, it becomes impossible for anyone to claim that this is in support of Palestine.”

In October 2023, following Hamas’ unprecedented attacks on Israel, Hezbollah opened what it called a “support front” for its Palestinian ally by firing rockets into Israeli territory. This escalated into near-daily cross-border exchanges between the Lebanese group and the Israeli army before Israel launched a full-scale war on Lebanon in September 2024. Many in Lebanon accuse Hezbollah of advancing an Iranian agenda.

Israel also sent troops into southern Lebanon. While most have withdrawn, a contingent remains stationed at five key positions across the border. These forces are unlikely to leave any time soon, sources have told The National, citing “strategic reasons” as the rationale behind Israel’s continued presence.

“In my country, just as in Palestine, there are still lands occupied by Israel. Lebanese prisoners are in its jails,” said Mr Aoun. “We do not give up our land, we do not forget our prisoners and we do not abandon them.”

Mr Al Shara equally called on the international community to pressure Israel to “immediately” withdraw its troops from southern Syria.

“We urge the international community to uphold its legal and moral commitments by supporting Syria's rights and pressuring Israel to immediately withdraw from southern Syria,” said Mr Al Shara.

“Since its occupation of the Syrian Golan in 1967, Israel has not ceased its violations of our people's rights,” he added. “We remain committed to the 1974 disengagement agreement and cannot accept Israel's continued disregard for this agreement.”

Shortly after the fall of Mr Al Assad, Israel pushed through a buffer zone between the occupied Golan Heights and southern Syria, establishing military positions inside a UN-monitored demilitarised zone. Israeli forces have remained there since, despite protests by Syria’s new government and the UN.

Syria's new leadership has adopted a policy of regional non-aggression. Experts told The National that they are neither willing nor capable of responding militarily to Israel, instead prioritising diplomatic support from Arab nations.

Mr Quilliam sees that the Trump administration’s ambivalence to the region and Israel’s penchant for acting with impunity has given Arab states a greater urgency to work together in pursuit of their collective interests.

“They can no longer afford to sit back and let the US drive policy. The diminution of Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon presents Arab leaders with an opportunity to shape the regional security order,” he said.