Illustrative image. (The Syrian Arab News Agency)
Heavy clashes broke out along the border between Lebanon and Syria overnight into March 17 after three Syrian soldiers were killed in earlier clashes.
The escalation began on March 16 afternoon when four armed men, including three Syrian soldiers, reportedly attempted to cross from the western countryside of Homs into Lebanon near the border town of al-Qasr to steal sheep. The four were confronted by fighters from Lebanese tribes. All four were killed in the clashes, in addition to two Lebanese tribal fighters.
The remains of the four slain Syrian men were handed over to Syrian authorities via the Joussi crossing by the Lebanese military.
However, Damascus escalated later in the evening. In a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Defense Ministry’s Media Office said that Hezbollah fighters had “trapped and kidnapped three Syrian soldiers at the border, west of Homs,” near Hermel. The ministry claimed the soldiers were taken into Lebanese territory and “executed.” It vowed to take measures in response to what it called a “dangerous escalation with Hezbollah.”
In response, Hezbollah released a statement “formally denying any connection” in the border clashes, as well as any incidents that have been recently happening in Syrian territory.
Overnight, the Syrian military brought in large reinforcements and shelled the outskirts of the Lebanese towns of Meshrefeh, al-Qasr, Kaouakh, Sahlet al-May and Hosh al-Sayyed Ali. The shelling killed a child and wounded four other civilians.
The Lebanese military said in a statement released in the early morning that it had responded to fire from the Syrian side and reinforced positions along the border.
It also announced that it initiated communications with the command of Syrian government forces to “maintain security and stability in the border area.”
Nevertheless, the clashes continued with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, reporting the death of at least four additional soldiers after Lebanese tribal fighters began to use anti-tank guided missiles.
The SANA reported that a journalist and a cameraman were also wounded in a missile strike near the town of Sad Zayta, again pinning the blame on Hezbollah.
In addition, Lebanese activists accused Syrian government forces of “slaughtering” two Lebanese civilians after abducting them from the town of al-Fadilah.
This is the second round of clashes on the Syrian-Lebanese border since the fall of the Assad regime last December. Last February, clashes broke out in the exact same strip of the border after Syrian government forces launched an operation against smugglers linked to Hezbollah.
The situation on the border will not likely stabilize any time soon. In fact, the uncoordinated operations by Syrian government forces along the border could eventually lead to a full-on confrontation not only with Hezbollah, but also with the Lebanese military.
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