Breakthrough or gesture? Understanding Wafiq Safa's UAE visit

The visit of the head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination Unit, Wafiq Safa, to the UAE cannot be reduced to a single mission, which is to conclude an agreement to release detainees held in its prisons. 

This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.

In both form and content, this "groundbreaking" step carries significant implications that go beyond its surface.

In fact, this step was preceded by months of intensive communications led by Iran and Syria with the United Arab Emirates, and of course, with Hezbollah, to finalize this issue, especially as the UAE expressed readiness to close this chapter in some way. 

These communications followed a facilitated path expected to lead to the release of these detainees before Eid al-Fitr, usually marked by amnesty in Gulf countries for the occasion.

Therefore, it is uncertain whether the plane that took Safa to the UAE, accompanied by an Emirati security official, will bring back those who were released.

There is a possibility that they may have to wait until Eid to return home.

However, the importance of this visit lies in what it has revealed, both politically and in terms of its timing.

Nidaa Al-Watan's sources believe that the announcement's leak came from both sides. 

This visit is seen as a gesture of goodwill and a step towards normalization in relations between the party and the Gulf states amidst ongoing negotiations in the region, which could lead to significant changes.