Clashes on Lebanese-Syrian border prompt military intervention

Syrian troops sit atop a military vehicle as they head toward Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 17 March 2025
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Clashes on Lebanese-Syrian border prompt military intervention

  • Syrian forces exchange fire with Hezbollah-linked fighters in Hermel area
  • New Lebanese Army chief reiterates need to implement UN Resolution 1701, nullify ‘internal terror threat’

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.”

 

 


Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon

Updated 3 sec ago
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Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon

Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it struck military sites in east and south Lebanon on Thursday, in its latest attack despite a November ceasefire that ended a war against militant group Hezbollah.
“A short while ago, the IDF (military) struck a military site containing an underground terrorist infrastructure site in the Bekaa area in Lebanon, as well as a military site containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in which Hezbollah activity has been identified,” the military said in a statement.
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east.
The state-run National News Agency said “enemy aircraft” struck “the eastern slopes of the mountain range within the town of Janta in the Bekaa,” as well as “the outskirts of the town of Taraya, west of Baalbek,” also in the east.
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon, NNA said.
No casualties were immediately reported.
The November 27 truce largely halted more than a year of fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Hezbollah had said it was acting in support of Hamas militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory since the truce agreement took effect.
Under the agreement, Israel had been expected to withdraw from Lebanon by February 18 after missing a January deadline, but it has kept troops at five locations it deems “strategic.”
The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

Fight against disinformation to continue, says Turkish official

Updated 23 min 1 sec ago
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Fight against disinformation to continue, says Turkish official

ANKARA: Following the decision to detain Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality officials and other suspects within the scope of a series of investigations conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, we note that some parties, especially leaders of the main opposition party, are making efforts to undermine the integrity of the investigations with political and ideological motives.

Among the political and ideological assessments made without familiarity with the content and details of the investigations that have begun, we are also witnessing irrational slanders against our president.

We will continue to stand firmly against such endeavors aimed at undermining the independence of our judiciary, which exercises its authority on behalf of the Turkish nation, as well as putting our president under suspicion, and will continue to protect the rights of our president against these ideological slander campaigns.

We emphasize our belief that all decisions of an impartial judiciary should be respected by all groups, and we would like to state that we will continue our fight against disinformation as the Communication Directorate in this process.

We ask our valued citizens to support this fight by dealing cautiously with unconfirmed and suspicious content and, as always, please rely on the statements of official institutions and authorities.

  • Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun is Head of the Communications Directorate of the Republic of Turkiye.

Houthi militant media reports fresh US strikes on Yemen

Updated 56 min 43 sec ago
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Houthi militant media reports fresh US strikes on Yemen

  • Four strikes hit Hodeida governorate on the Red Sea
  • The Houthis have reported several rounds of US attacks since Saturday

SANAA: Fresh attacks hit two areas of militant-held Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV station reported on Thursday, blaming “US aggression.”
Four strikes hit Hodeida governorate on the Red Sea, and a further attack hit Saada in the north, the birthplace of the Houthi movement, Al-Masirah said.
The attacks came around the same time that Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen for the second time in a day.
The Houthis have reported several rounds of US attacks since Saturday, when a heavy bombardment targeting senior figures killed 53 people, according to the militant group.
In return, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked a US aircraft carrier battle group and twice announced missile launches at Israeli targets.
The US attacks are aimed at stamping out months of strikes by the Houthis on Red Sea shipping during the Gaza war that have crippled the vital trade route.


Israel says it intercepts two missiles launched from Yemen

Updated 20 March 2025
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Israel says it intercepts two missiles launched from Yemen

  • There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the launch, but it comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis had threatened to escalate attacks in support of Palestinians

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it intercepted two missiles launched from Yemen on Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened to punish Iran over its perceived support for Yemeni Houthi militants.
Warning sirens sounded in Jerusalem and the nearby Israeli-occupied West Bank after the second missile was fired later in the day, the military said, adding that it was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory.
The military said it also downed a missile launched from Yemen earlier in the day after sirens blared in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel’s national ambulance service Magen David Adom said it received no reports of casualties following both launches.
The Houthis, undeterred by waves of US strikes since Saturday, fired a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised statement earlier on Thursday.
The group has recently vowed to escalate attacks, including those targeting Israel, in response to the US campaign.
US strikes that began on Saturday over Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping amount to the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. The US attacks have killed at least 50 people.
Yemen’s Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported at least four US strikes on the Al Mina district of the Red Sea city of Hodeidah on Thursday, an area which houses a major port and the headquarters of Houthi naval forces.
Al Masirah TV reported another strike on Al-Safra district of Saada which, according to Yemeni sources, houses weapons storage and training sites, and is considered one of the group’s most important and heavily fortified military strongholds.
Trump threatened on Monday to hold Iran accountable for any future Houthi attacks, warning of severe consequences. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Houthis were independent and took their own strategic and operational decisions.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile toward Israel and would expand their range of targets in that country in coming days in retaliation for renewed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza after weeks of relative calm.
The Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on shipping since Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinians.
The attacks have disrupted global commerce and prompted the US military to launch a costly campaign to intercept missiles.
The Houthis are part of what has been dubbed the “Axis of Resistance” — an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq, all backed by Iran.


EU leaders deplore breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza

Updated 20 March 2025
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EU leaders deplore breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza

  • The European Council deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza

BRUSSELS: EU leaders said on Thursday that they deplore the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and Hamas’ refusal to hand over remaining hostages.
“The European Council deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza, which has caused a large number of civilian casualties in recent air strikes. It deplores the refusal of Hamas to hand over the remaining hostages,” it said in a statement.