Border Control Sparks Clashes Between Lebanese Tribes, Syrian Security Forces
Clashes erupted between Syrian security forces and armed Lebanese tribesmen in the northeastern border region of Lebanon, resulting in at least two Lebanese fatalities.
Several people were also captured by both sides.
The violence comes a week after a failed tribal initiative aimed at closing the border to prevent smuggling operations.
On Thursday, a rocket landed on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Al-Qasr in the Bekaa region, following clashes inside Syrian territory. According to Lebanon's National News Agency, the incident was the result of ongoing fighting in the Syrian town of Hawik, which is inhabited by Lebanese nationals. In response, the Lebanese army reinforced its presence along the border to prevent further incursions by armed groups from Syria.
According to sources, the clashes involved Syrian security forces—including the Operations Directorate and Syrian General Security— and Lebanese tribal members who own farmland in the Syrian countryside of Al-Qusayr, where they reside. The fighting resulted in the Syrian forces regaining control over most of the villages previously inhabited by Lebanese nationals, totaling 17 villages and farming settlements.
Syrian media reported that military operations focused on sweeping villages in the western countryside of Homs, near the Lebanese border. The campaign targeted villages including Hawik, Blouza, Al-Fadiliyah, Akoum, and Juroud, reaching the Lebanese border. The objective was to expel armed groups, smugglers, wanted drug traffickers, and individuals affiliated with Hezbollah.
Failed Tribal Mediation Effort
The clashes were partly triggered by the collapse of a planned meeting between Syrian security officials and tribal representatives, which was scheduled to take place a week earlier in the Lebanese town of Al-Samaqiyat.
The meeting, initiated by the Al-Alyawi tribes in Syria under the umbrella of the Syrian Operations Directorate, aimed to coordinate efforts to control illegal border crossings, which have been widely exploited for smuggling operations between the two countries.
On Thursday, Syrian authorities deployed three security units to the region to carry out arrests, which led to direct armed confrontations with Lebanese fighters entrenched in the border villages. Lebanese sources reported that artillery shelling from Syria reached the Lebanese town of Al-Qasr, causing casualties—one fatality and one injury among Lebanese residents.
In response to the escalation, the Hermel tribes issued a statement calling on the Lebanese government and army to intervene and protect border towns from further hostilities. The situation remains tense, with the Lebanese army reinforcing positions along the border to prevent further spillover of violence into Lebanese territory.
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