Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighbourly relations with Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad opened the way to a new era in the often turbulent relations between the two neighbours.

BEIRUT: Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed his hope Thursday for close ties with Syria's new rulers after a phone call with his Syrian coun

Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster has ended Iran's 40-year dominance and quest for hegemony in the region, further weakened his allies in Lebanon and created a new opportunity for establishing normal relations.

Tensions in northeast Syria between Kurdish-led authorities and Turkish-backed groups should be resolved politically or risk "dramatic consequences" for all of Syria, the United Nations envoy for the country Geir Pedersen told Reuters on Monday.

Ministers from Jordan and Qatar were among the first high-ranking Arab diplomats to meet with the leader of the rebel coalition that toppled the Syrian regime.

Hezbollah was dealt a major blow during 14 months of war with Israel. The toppling of Assad, who had strong ties to Iran, has now crippled its ability to bounce back by cutting off a vital weapons-smuggling route through Syria.

With a ceasefire in place, Hezbollah wants to rebuild Lebanon. But its supply chains across Syria have been weakened by Israeli airstrikes, rebel fighting and the ouster of its ally Bashar al-Assad.

Lebanon's General Security apparatus met with Syria's new rulers earlier this week to discuss new border arrangements between the neighbouring countries.

The leader of the rebel coalition that swept to power last week said that fighters would be brought under the defense ministry’s authority. It was not immediately clear how that would be achieved.

Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster has ended Iran's 40-year dominance and quest for hegemony in the region, further weakened his allies in Lebanon and created a new opportunity for establishing normal relations.

A Syria war monitor said 17 people were killed on December 25 in clashes in Tartus province after security forces sought to arrest an officer under deposed leader Bashar al-Assad who was linked to a notorious prison.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.