Syria and Lebanon jointly condemned on Monday the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and called for an immediate end to the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, who is visiting Damascus, the Syrian capital.
According to the state-run SANA news agency, the two stressed the importance of continuing consultations and strategic alignment to address urgent common challenges.
During the meeting, the ministers reiterated their unwavering commitment to address the plight of the Palestinian people and stressed the unconditional and immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Both sides also rejected any attempt to displace the Palestinians or to delegitimize the Palestinian cause. They further stressed the urgent need to implement the relevant international resolutions to end the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories, while advocating the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Their talks focused as well on the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon, with both nations highlighting collaborative efforts to ensure the safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
They further agreed to initiate subsequent coordination meetings to address important issues such as the safe return of displaced persons, border control, prisoner exchange and other issues of mutual interest.