BEIRUT: Security along the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Hermel area deteriorated on Monday following violent clashes between Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah-affiliated fighters.
The violence began on Sunday, with the Lebanese Army Command announcing the same day that military units implemented “exceptional security measures following the killing of two Syrians and the serious injury of another, who later succumbed to his wounds at the Lebanese-Syrian border near Al-Qasr-Hermel area.”
According to the SANA news agency, the media office of the Syrian Defense Ministry said a group affiliated with Hezbollah abducted three Syrian soldiers near the border close to the Seta dam, west of Homs.
They were taken to Lebanese territory and subsequently executed, the ministry statement added.
Lebanese authorities confirmed three bodies had been transferred to Syria via the Lebanese Red Cross.
Yassin Shams, from Hermel, told Arab News that the incident began as a dispute among smugglers.
“The area where these events take place is geographically intertwined between Lebanon and Syria, with each clan controlling a crossing point for smuggling activities,” he said.
“The crossings consist of sheets of metal placed over the streams to facilitate passage from Lebanese territory to Syrian territory and vice versa.”
Shams said that the situation escalated following the discovery of the three Syrians.
Initially believed to have gotten lost, it was later claimed that a Lebanese man from the Medlej family had killed them. The Lebanese Armed Forces subsequently arrested the suspect.
On Monday morning, Hermel awoke to the news that two brothers from the Medlej family had been found dead after being detained by Syrian security forces.
Their bodies were discovered in their home in Fadiliya Sad Matraba, near the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Later on Monday, the area witnessed shelling and gunfire.
The Lebanese Army Command said several Lebanese villages and towns were subjected to shelling from Syrian territory, and that the Lebanese Armed Forces retaliated, and took steps to maintain security in the area.
SANA, meanwhile, reported that “a cameraman and a journalist were injured on the Syrian-Lebanese border near Zita Dam after being targeted by a Hezbollah-guided missile.”
The injured reporter, during a live broadcast, claimed that a Kornet missile targeted the TV team’s location.
The Syrian Ministry of Information condemned “the direct targeting of a group of journalists and reporters while they were covering the events near the Lebanese-Syrian border with guided missiles launched by Hezbollah, following the kidnapping and killing of three Syrian soldiers the day before.
“The attack represents a clear violation of international laws and norms that protect journalists on duty. We urge the Lebanese state to take responsibility and hold the perpetrators accountable,” the ministry added.
Meanwhile, a Lebanese security report indicated that the shelling of Lebanese territory resulted in the death of a Lebanese girl after two shells landed in Al-Qasr, a town north of Hermel.
The shells originated from the Qusayr countryside in Syria, the report said.
Syrian media outlets reported that the clashes led to the death of a Syrian soldier and injuries to others after a guided missile struck their military base.
Two more Syrian soldiers were killed in a similar attack near Seta.
The Syrian military has brought reinforcements to the border while reconnaissance aircraft continue to conduct intensive surveillance of the area.
The Lebanese Armed Forces said communications with relevant counterparts in Syria remain ongoing in order to ensure stability in the border region.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said it will implement all necessary measures following the violence.
“Hezbollah has violated our borders, and we will respond to any incursions,” Al-Arabiya quoted the Syrian Army operations commander on the Lebanese border as saying.
“Border points have been secured, and we are coordinating with the Lebanese Army to control the border.”
In response, Hezbollah issued a statement denying any involvement in the ongoing clashes, asserting that it has no connection to any developments on Syrian territory.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi commented on the developments, expressing regret over the escalation and emphasizing the need for cooperation.
Elsewhere on Monday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a van in the town of Yahmar Al-Shaqif in the Nabatieh district, with the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health saying that “the strike resulted in one death and three injuries.”
The Israeli military said it targeted two Hezbollah members who were acting as observers and directing terrorist activities.
On Monday night an Israeli motorized force carried out an incursion into the town of Aita Al-Shaab and the areas surrounding Khallet Wardeh and Hadab Aita.
Meanwhile, in his directives upon his assumption of command, the new Lebanese Army commander, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, emphasized that “the Army’s responsibility at this critical period is of utmost importance.”
He said the Army “works to implement UN Resolution 1701 in cooperation with the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon, in addition to fortifying our internal front against the threat of terrorism.”
