Since the formation of a new government in Syria, the Syrian-Lebanese border has become a hotspot for repeated clashes between the HTS-led Syrian Army and armed Lebanese Bekaa clans. In several instances, the Lebanese Army has either sided with the clans or remained neutral, refraining from intervening in the ongoing confrontations.
A fierce and prolonged border clash erupted yesterday, continuing into today, resulting in multiple casualties among civilians from both Syria and Lebanon. Additionally, the HTS-led Syrian Ministry of Defense has officially confirmed the deaths of 12 Syrian soldiers. The exact number of Lebanese Shia clan fighters who lost their lives in the confrontation remains unknown, as no official figures have been released.
Reportedly, the clashes started when three soldiers of the HTS-led Syrian Government crossed into Lebanon and harassed a Lebanese family, attempting to steel the sheep of a farmer. As a result, the farmer's family opened fire, killing all three soldiers. The Syrians then started firing rockets into Lebanon, which prompted the local Lebanese clans to return fire, escalating the conflict. Similar clashes erupted several weeks ago, when HTS fighters stormed a majority Shia village on the Syrian side of the border and harassed its inhabitants, prompting the Lebanese Bekaa clans across the border to respond in defense of their relatives.
Both the Syrian and Lebanese sides employed heavy weaponry during the confrontation, including multiple rocket launchers, mortars, and drones. The Lebanese Army later joined the fighting, stating it would respond to the surces of the fire, after several Lebanese civilians were killed in the shelling of Lebanese border villages by Syrian artillery.
The Syrian and Lebanese Governments have since reached an agreement to cease the fighting, vowing to exchange prisoners and return bodies of the deceased.