The concern until Syrian troops withdrew was that it would just become a de facto part of Syria itself.
I recall when the French military evacuated many of the Christians as the civil war wound down; another post-colonial failed state.
If all that chaos in Syria hadn’t occurred...it would make sense today to just step in and take charge. Assad could take the place in 24 hours. Economically though...he’d get stuck with a worthless urbanized region, with the vast majority of people surviving at the poverty level.