A Lebanese Army vehicle deployed in Wadi Khaled, North Lebanon. Photo shared by our correspondent Michel Hallak.
Since last Friday, clashes have erupted along the northern Lebanese-Syrian border between "Lebanese clans" accused of smuggling and new Syrian security forces — formerly Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). However, the area remained relatively calm from Monday night into Tuesday as both the Lebanese Army and Syrian forces reinforced their positions on either side of the border.
According to a correspondent in the Bekaa, the Lebanese Army continued its deployment Tuesday, establishing fixed and mobile checkpoints. On the Syrian side, authorities blocked illegal crossings with earth barriers and bulldozers while bolstering their own positions opposite Lebanese military outposts.
Amid the tensions, residents along the border remain on high alert, fearing potential infiltration by armed fighters into Lebanese territory, the correspondent reported.
Zeaiter's nephew killed
In a related development, Karam Khodor Zeaiter, a nephew of Amal Movement MP Ghazi Zeaiter, was found dead in the Wadi Hanna area of Syria, a security source told the correspondent. Zeaiter, who had autism and lived in the Syrian village of Hawik, had been kidnapped, with his captors demanding a ransom for his release, another security source said. His body was taken to Hermel Governmental Hospital for forensic examination.
The killing has sparked outrage, with armed members of the Zeaiter and Jaafar clans seen gathering along the Qald al-Sabeh road in northern Hermel.
Meanwhile, a security source confirmed Sunday that all Shiite residents had withdrawn from Syrian villages near the border, seeking refuge in Lebanon. Nearly the entire border on both sides has been shut down.
Former Lebanese border security officer Gen. Khalil Gemayel said Shiite clans in Syria have been driven from the villages of Samkiyyat, Hwayek, Zayta, Jantliyeh, Matraba and Hawsh al-Sayed Ali — Syrian towns that were home to nearly 30,000 Lebanese residents, now displaced back to Lebanon.
Damascus accuses Hezbollah
On Monday, Syria's new authorities accused Hezbollah of attacking Syrian security forces and facilitating smuggling activities. Damascus launched anti-smuggling operations last week in border areas where Hezbollah maintains a strong presence.
"Most smuggling groups along the Lebanese border are linked to Hezbollah militiamen, whose presence now poses a threat as they support drug and arms traffickers," Lt. Col. Moayed al-Salama said in a statement quoted by AFP.
Syrian forces have reportedly seized "farms, warehouses and factories producing and packaging hashish and captagon pills," Salama said. He added that authorities also discovered specialized presses for printing counterfeit currency, as well as shipments of weapons and drugs prepared for transport.
On Saturday, the Lebanese Army said it had responded to gunfire from the Syrian side of the border, two days after Damascus announced its crackdown on smugglers. The army did not specify who was responsible for the shooting.
Syria shares a 330-kilometer border with Lebanon, much of it poorly demarcated, making it highly porous and a hub for smuggling.