Lebanon PM visits Damascus on first such trip since before Syria war

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived in Damascus on Saturday in the first such visit since before civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, media reported.

His visit comes as the neighbouring countries seek better relations after Syria's opposition groups toppled longtime dictator Bashar al Assad last month.

He met and held talks with Syria's new administration leader Ahmed al Sharaa.

The visit comes days after Lebanese lawmakers elected the country's army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a more than two-year vacancy.

Deadlock between pro- and anti-Hezbollah blocs in parliament had scuppered a dozen previous attempts to fill the vacancy but the group emerged weakened from two months of full-fledged Israeli war late last year.

Syria was the dominant power in Lebanon for three decades under the Assad clan but withdrew its troops in 2005 in the face of international pressure over the assassination of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Syrian authorities thwart Daesh plot

Meanwhile, on the same day as Mikati's visit, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced that it had successfully foiled an attempt by the Daesh terror group to bomb the Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus.

In an official statement, the ministry confirmed the arrests of individuals involved in the plot, describing the operation as part of "ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of religious sites and the public".

The shrine, a prominent pilgrimage site, has been targeted in previous attacks by extremist groups.

Further details about the suspects and the planned attack have not yet been disclosed.