At least seven people have been killed and 52 others wounded in escalating clashes along the Lebanon-Syria border, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed on Monday.
The latest bout of violence follows a weekend of skirmishes that left three Syrian soldiers dead. Damascus has accused the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah of being involved in the incident, though the group has denied any role in the soldiers’ seizure and killing.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morkos stated that the country’s Defence Minister informed the Cabinet that the three slain individuals were smugglers. However, Syria has maintained that the soldiers were taken into Lebanese territory before being killed.
In response to the deteriorating security situation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ordered the army to take action along the northern and eastern borders. "Lebanon will not allow the clashes along the border to continue," Aoun said in a statement released by the president’s office.
Rising tensions
The violence has prompted military officials from both countries to engage in talks aimed at de-escalation. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s national army command confirmed the clashes on Monday and stated that reinforcements had been deployed to secure the region.
Reports from Damascus suggest that 10 Syrian soldiers have been killed since the fighting erupted. Syrian state media, citing unnamed officials, claimed that the Syrian army shelled "Hezbollah gatherings that killed the Syrian soldiers" overnight.
Hezbollah, however, dismissed the allegations. Senior party legislator Hussein Haj Hassan, in an interview with Al Jadeed TV, accused fighters from the Syrian side of crossing into Lebanese territory and launching attacks on border villages.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported unverified claims that Lebanese armed groups were involved in the fighting.
Cross-border hostilities
Four journalists embedded with the Syrian army were lightly wounded on Monday when an artillery shell struck their position. The journalists accused Hezbollah of launching the attack, though independent confirmation remains unavailable.
Syrian authorities have accused Hezbollah of crossing into Syria on Saturday and executing the three soldiers on Lebanese soil. Meanwhile, tensions have also been exacerbated by ongoing violence between the Syrian military and armed Lebanese clans reportedly allied with the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Lebanese media reports suggest that these clans were involved in the soldiers' seizure. The clashes, which have been punctuated by overnight shelling, have forced civilians in the border areas to flee towards Hermel, Syria.
The Lebanon-Syria border stretches over 375km (233 miles) and features difficult terrain with no clear demarcation in several areas, making it a long-standing hotspot for smuggling and armed skirmishes.
