Limo Service in Lebanon, IN

The presidents of Lebanon and Syria arrived in Qatar on separate visits Tuesday, the first official trips by both leaders to the wealthy Gulf state since taking office.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha, the Qatari leader's office said in a statement.

Qatar has been a key backer of the new administration in Damascus after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

The talks between the Qatari and Syrian leaders "covered the most prominent regional and international developments, and an exchange of views on ways to enhance security and stability," Sheikh Tamim's office said.

Earlier, Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani posted on X that he was accompanying Sharaa on his "first presidential visit to the country that has stood by Syrians from day one and has never abandoned them."

Sharaa and Shaibani's Qatar trip comes on the heels of a Sunday visit to the United Arab Emirates, where they met Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sharaa led the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that spearheaded the offensive that ousted Assad from power on December 8.

His new administration has received support from several countries, including key backers Turkey and Qatar, as well as multiple Arab states.

Qatar was one of the first Arab countries to back the armed rebellion that erupted after Assad's government crushed a peaceful uprising in 2011.

Unlike other Arab nations, Doha did not restore diplomatic ties with Syria under Assad.

The new authorities have engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity since taking power, and Sharaa has visited several Arab countries as well as Turkey.

- 'Important interlocutor' -

Later on Tuesday Lebanese President Joseph Aoun touched down in Doha, accompanied by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement.

Earlier, Aoun's office had said talks between the Qatari and Lebanese delegations would continue into Wednesday afternoon and include a meeting with the Qatari emir.

A day earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Sharaa in Damascus in an effort to reboot ties between the two neighbors.

Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve relations since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty exercised control over Lebanese affairs for decades and has been accused of assassinating numerous officials in Lebanon who expressed opposition to its rule.

Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg said since the fall of the Assad government, Qatar had emerged as "the most important interlocutor with the Sharaa government in the Arab world, at least after Turkey."

He said the gas-rich Gulf emirate was a "diplomatic force multiplier to the Sharaa government in Syria" and would be able to connect the new Syrian authorities with Lebanon, "which is, for both countries, extremely important."

Sheikh Tamim visited Damascus in January, becoming the first head of state to visit since Assad's ouster.

Doha has pledged to support the rehabilitation of Syria's infrastructure, and has signed multiple deals to provide the war-ravaged country with much-needed power.

Syrian authorities are seeking assistance including from wealthy Gulf states for reconstruction after nearly 14 years of war.

Qatar is also one of the providers of financial and in-kind support to the Lebanese Army and pledged support for reconstruction in February after the recent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2025 – Reconstruction and recovery needs following the conflict that affected Lebanon are estimated at US$11 billion, according to a Lebanon Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) 2025 report released by the World Bank that assesses damage, losses, and needs in ten sectors across the entire country, covering the period from October 8, 2023 until December 20, 2024.

Of the US$11 billion in reconstruction and recovery needs, the report estimates that US$3 to 5 billion will need to be publicly financed, including US$1billion for the infrastructure sectors (energy; municipal and public services; transport; and water, wastewater and irrigation). While US$6 to 8 billion will require private financing, mostly in the housing, commerce, industry, and tourism sectors.

Underpinning these needs estimates, the report assesses that the economic cost of the conflict on Lebanon is US$14 billion, with damage to physical structures amounting to US$6.8 billion and economic losses from reduced productivity, foregone revenues, and operating costs reaching US$7.2 billion. Housing has been the hardest hit sector with damages estimated at US$4.6 billion. The commerce, industry and tourism sector has also been significantly impacted, with losses estimated at US$3.4 billion across the entire country. In terms of geographic scope, the Nabatiyeh and South governorates have been the most impacted, followed by Mount Lebanon (which includes the southern suburb of Beirut).

From a macroeconomic perspective, the report finds that the impacts of the conflict have resulted in Lebanon’s real GDP contracting by 7.1% in 2024, a significant setback compared to a no-conflict growth estimated at 0.9 percent. By the end of 2024, Lebanon’s cumulative GDP decline since 2019 approached 40 percent, compounding the effects of the multi-pronged economic downturn and impacting Lebanon’s prospects for economic growth.

The Lebanon RDNA was conducted in response to a request from the Government of Lebanon to assess the impact across ten key sectors: Agriculture and Food Security; Commerce, Industry, and Tourism; Education; Environment and Debris Management; Energy; Health; Housing; Municipal and Public Services; Transport; and Water, Wastewater, and Irrigation. The assessment was carried out in close technical collaboration with the National Council for Scientific Research – Lebanon and in coordination with selected UN agencies and other development partners. The assessment follows the globally established and recognized Post-Disaster Needs Assessment methodology jointly developed by the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations. This methodology has been applied globally in post-disaster and post-conflict contexts to inform recovery and reconstruction planning. It draws on a hybrid methodology that relies on a mix of ground- and remote-based data, including ground surveys, key informant interviews, sample visual checks, satellite imagery, Synthetic Aperture Radar analysis, anonymized cellphone data, and social media analytics.