Screenshot from a video circulating on Syrian social media of three Lebanese detainees asking their peers to release two Syrians.
BEIRUT — An incident on Thursday between Syria's new security forces — formerly known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — and Lebanese members of the Zeaiter and Jaafar clans in Syrian border villages with Lebanese populations reportedly escalated throughout the day, according to multiple sources, including and our regional correspondent and local media.
When asked about this alarming situation, a Lebanese security source stated that the incident occurred solely on Syrian territory, specifically in the village of Hawik. The source added that the Lebanese Army had reinforced its deployment along the border to safeguard the area. The source added that the likelihood of the conflict spilling over into Lebanon was "slim to none."
However, fighting continued into Thursday evening, with members of the clans retreating toward Lebanese territory. At least two deaths were reported on the Syrian side — with local TV channel LBCI reporting three deaths — and two individuals were taken captive by the Lebanese clans. By 6 p.m., Syrian forces issued an ultimatum to the Lebanese, demanding the release of the two detainees within six hours. According to media outlets linked to the new Syrian authorities, the detainees were eventually freed before the deadline expired.
In the late afternoon, a statement attributed to Syria’s new authorities, which took control after Bashar al-Assad’s fall on Dec. 8, circulated. The statement reportedly claimed that Syrian authorities detained 18 individuals, both Lebanese and former regime supporters. However, the authenticity of this statement remains unverified.
According to our correspondent, at least three Lebanese detainees are in Syrian custody. The identities of two have been confirmed: mukhtar (local official) Ghassan Noun and Ahmad Zeaiter. A video circulating on social media, taken by Syrian forces, shows the three detainees urging their relatives to release the two captives in exchange for their own freedom.
In response, the Lebanese clans released widely circulated videos showing the two Syrian detainees visibly injured and mistreated. They also published a photo of one detainee’s Syrian identity card.
Other reports indicate the death of notorious Lebanese drug trafficker Nouh Zeaiter during the confrontation. However, this information remains unverified, with conflicting reports, according to our correspondent.
Weapons in clans' hands
The clash began Thursday at the Lebanese-Syrian border between Syria’s new security forces and Lebanese members of the Zeaiter and Jaafar clans in the village of Hawik, located on Syrian territory but populated by Lebanese, across from Lebanon's Hermel region in northern Bekaa. Syrian authorities have described the clashes as involving “smugglers.”
Various accounts suggest that Syrian forces entered the village and other Lebanese-populated localities, where they were met with gunfire. The fighting spread to the border village of Jermashe, and, according to LBCI, several houses were set on fire. There are reports of an injury in the Lebanese village of Qasr, where a bomb reportedly landed.
Sources contacted by our correspondent claim that during these clashes, the Lebanese clans seized Syrian weapons and military equipment in Hawik.
The Islamist group HTS, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, now interim Syrian president, was dissolved after the fall of the Assad regime, giving rise to the new Syrian forces. Lebanese clans, such as the Zeaiter and Jaafar, hold significant influence in border regions, where state presence is less prominent, and the porous border facilitates smuggling and various incidents.
