Lebanon gov’t delegation in highest level Syria visit in years

Two sides expected to discuss plan to ease Lebanon’s power crisis by transmitting electricity via the Syrian grid.

A delegation from the caretaker Lebanese government is due to visit Syria on Saturday in the highest level visit in years, aiming to pave the way for a United States-backed plan to ease a power crisis in Lebanon. Lebanese government officials have mostly avoided Syria since war began there in 2011 as Beirut adopted a policy of staying out of regional conflicts, even as the heavily armed Shia group Hezbollah fought in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The upcoming visit comes after the Lebanese presidency last month said that the US has agreed to help Lebanon secure electricity and natural gas from Jordan and Egypt through Syrian territory.