Observations from yesterday's National Dialogue conference in Damascus:
-General consensus was that it was rushed: attendees invited 1-2 days earlier, some facilitators were invited only 7 hrs earlier
-Many openly criticised lack of transparency in selection process -Alawis were present but in low attendance. A fight broke out in one transitional justice session after one Alawite decried the demonisation of the sect, met with anger from Hama attendees
-Everyone I spoke to saw ND as 1st step, NOT a culmination of dialogue

Syrians told me the Lebanese army knocked on their doors, promising salvation.

Instead, they handed them to Syria's gov — a death sentence for many like Abu Hussein. He managed to escape & is in hiding in Syria, trying to smuggle himself back to Lebanon.
washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/… Lebanon has called for Syrians' returns for years. These deportations took place weeks before a donor conference in Brussels in mid-June to discuss Syria/region's future.

GS ex-head Abbas Ibrahim told @suzanHaidamous deportations are an appeal for Western countries’ assistance: