Lebanese soldiers have been rushed to the border to stop the escalation [Getty file photo]
Lebanese and Syrian authorities have intensified diplomatic efforts to stabilise the border, following a sharp escalation in violence on Sunday. Tensions are running high since last week.
At least five people have been killed, and more than a dozen injured in cross-border clashes involving artillery and rocket fire that erupted since Thursday between armed Lebanese clans and forces affiliated with the new Islamist Syrian administration of Ahmed al-Sharaa.
A source familiar with discussions between Lebanese and Syrian officials told our Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “intensive efforts are underway to restore calm along the Lebanese-Syrian border”.
“We hope these discussions will translate into tangible results on the ground, as the situation remains tense. Lebanese authorities have issued strict directives to secure the border and remove Lebanese militants, which has been carried out,” the source added.
The source added that “while the situation today is relatively calm, Syrian military reinforcements have been observed in border villages.”
A Lebanese army source also told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the army’s leadership, under the directives of Commander Joseph Aoun, had already instructed military units stationed along the northern and eastern borders to respond to any cross-border fire from Syria.
“A strict security mandate is in place to reinforce border control and bolster military deployment to prevent an escalation of clashes or uncontrollable incidents,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army has stepped up security measures along the border, increasing the number of checkpoints, surveillance posts, and patrols. The source confirmed that “coordination with the Syrian side is ongoing to prevent any further deterioration in the situation.”
On Monday, Syria’s Ministry of Defence also deployed military reinforcements to the Al-Qusayr countryside in western Homs, near the Lebanese border, as clashes continued with what Damascus says are ‘remnants of the Assad regime and drug traffickers’.
Military sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the reinforcements arrived after several days of intense fighting, during which heavy weaponry was used along the border with Lebanon. Meanwhile, Syrian Defence Ministry reconnaissance aircraft have been conducting intensive aerial surveillance of the area.
On Sunday, Syrian forces reportedly arrested five individuals, including arms and drug traffickers, during the confrontations.
The clans involved in the cross-border clashes with Syrian troops are made up of Lebanese Shia families residing in the border region, where the demarcation between Syrian and Lebanese territory is blurry.
According to Lebanese French daily L’Orient Le Jour, there are 17 villages straddling the Lebanese-Syrian border and act a hotspot for smuggling activities, which appear to be a target for Syria’s new security forces.
Since the change in power in Damascus, sporadic incidents have shaken the Lebanese-Syrian border. In early January, Lebanese army soldiers, while sealing off an illegal crossing in Maarboun, southeast of Baalbeck, were fired upon from Syrian territory, injuring four soldiers. Other clashes had previously occurred between suspected smugglers and Damascus’ new forces at another illegal crossing in northern Bekaa near the Syrian village of al-Masriya.
“The fact that these clans are Shia, affiliated with Hezbollah, and known for their smuggling activities likely explains why Syrian authorities have targeted them,” a Lebanese security source told the Lebanese daily.
Following the fall of its ally Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah reportedly withdrew its remaining forces from Syria. This has significantly reduced the group’s land supply routes, particularly for weapons from Tehran.
“Some areas are still under Hezbollah’s control, which is why we are expelling them. Some resisted, and that naturally led to fighting,” a Syrian military source told the Lebanese daily.
Another Syrian source, cited by Al-Modon, added: “They refused to lay down their arms after the fall of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.” This source also noted that the clans had violated agreements with Syria’s new government multiple times by continuing smuggling activities across the border, with armed support directed toward Syria.
“Our military forces are extending control over several areas along the Lebanese border after expelling groups affiliated with Hezbollah and remnants of the former regime,” Syrian authorities stated in an official communiqué.
There are fears Syrian fighters could cross into Lebanon as part of the escalation, which could draw in Hezbollah into the fight. For now, there is no evidence the powerful Shia group, reeling from the war with Israel, is directly involved.
