Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited Beirut on Thursday to assure Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Damascus has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon, pushing back against repeated suggestions by US President Donald Trump that Syria could "take care of Hezbollah." Shaibani said he wanted to "clear up the confusion" over reports of a potential Syrian military operation, while also extending an invitation from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — who came to power in December 2024 after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad — for Aoun to make a first-ever presidential visit to Damascus. The visit comes amid broader regional tensions, with Lebanon engaged in US-backed framework negotiations with Israel and Israeli forces maintaining what they describe as "security zones" in southern Lebanon indefinitely.