A delegation of Lebanese displaced from villages along the Syrian border in the Hermel region of northern Bekaa met Wednesday with the mufti of Baalbeck-Hermel, Sheikh Bakr el-Rifai, according to our correspondent. These residents were forced from villages on Syrian soil where they had lived following armed clashes with Syrian forces loyal to the country’s new authorities — former members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — who took control after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December.

In a statement released after the meeting, the displaced urged the Lebanese government and security forces to facilitate their return home. They also called on the Syrian authorities to ensure justice and "preserve diversity in the region," affirming their "respect for the will and choices of the Syrian people."

The displaced further demanded "cooperation between the security forces of both countries to stabilize these border areas," stressing that "their possessions are the result of a lifetime’s work and must be recovered as soon as possible."

The Syrian-Lebanese border, particularly around Baalbeck-Hermel, remains highly porous and has long been a hub for smuggling. Armed clashes that erupted in early February between Syrian forces and Lebanese clans left several dead and injured and led to hostage-taking on both sides. The Lebanese clans ultimately withdrew behind the Lebanese army, on the Lebanese side of the border.