A Lebanese army vehicle deployed in Wadi Khaled, in Northern Lebanon, near the Lebanese-Syrian border. Photo shared by our correspondent Michel Hallak.
BEIRUT — After a night of tensions Sunday in Hermel, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, and a brief period of uneasy calm Monday morning, gunfire was again reported in the area, wounding at least two journalists as Syrian drones flew overhead, according to L'Orient Today's Bekaa correspondent.
Monday’s developments at the border
- Morning shelling: After a brief period of calm, two shells fired from the Qusayr region in Syria landed near al-Qasr (Baalbek-Hermel), according to our correspondent. Meanwhile, Shahin Syrian reconnaissance drones were observed flying over the border.
- Midday attack: Just before noon, a rocket fired from Lebanon wounded a journalist and a photographer near the Zaita checkpoint (Homs countryside), according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA. The rocket struck near teams from the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath networks, who were accompanying the Syrian army at the border. Al-Arabiya reported that the attack killed at least two Syrian soldiers. Arab media, citing SANA, blamed the attack on Hezbollah.
- Syrian military reinforcements: Al-Arabiya also reported that the Syrian army deployed along the border with Lebanon, sending additional reinforcements.
- More casualties reported: Al-Jazeera reported Monday that Hezbollah shelling in the Homs countryside killed eight members of Syria’s Defense Ministry and two civilians. It was unclear whether this was the same strike that wounded journalists. Syria’s state news agency did not report on the attack. When contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, the Lebanese Army said it had no information on the strike.
- Detentions and killings: At dawn, Syrian forces arrested two Syrian nationals from their home in Fadilieh, inside Lebanese territory near the border, according to two local sources. Their bodies were later found in the Lebanese border town of Sad Matraba. It remains unclear whether their arrest and killing were linked to the border clashes on Sunday.
How did the tensions begin on Sunday?
- Cross-border infiltration attempt: Violence erupted Sunday between Lebanese residents — mainly Shiite clans reportedly close to Hezbollah — and members of the Syrian armed forces. According to security sources, four armed men affiliated with the "New Syrian Forces" attempted to infiltrate Lebanese territory near the border town of al-Qasr. They were repelled by Lebanese clan fighters in clashes that killed two Lebanese and wounded two others who were taken to regional hospitals by the Lebanese Red Cross.
- Bodies of Syrian soldiers found: Later, the Lebanese Red Cross discovered the bodies of several Syrian soldiers on the Lebanese side of the border near the al-Qasr earthen embankment. According to our correspondent, these were the same four men who had attempted to infiltrate Lebanon.
- Circulating video: Three bodies were recovered, while a fourth Syrian was hospitalized and later handed over to Syrian authorities, again according to our correspondent. A video circulating on social media platform X shows one of the presumed Syrian soldiers, visibly injured and sitting on the ground, being hit with stones. L’Orient-Le Jour was unable to verify the authenticity of the video.
- Damascus' accusations: Despite the return of the bodies to Syrian authorities, Damascus accused Hezbollah of "trapping and executing" the Syrian soldiers and denounced a "dangerous escalation" by the party. Hezbollah quickly denied any involvement in a statement.
- Conflicting reports: A Lebanese military source told L’Orient-Le Jour that it was likely the four Syrian soldiers were killed by "other Syrian militiamen," rather than by Lebanese clans before their bodies were abandoned at the Lebanese border. "The situation is chaotic. We are coordinating with Syrian forces, but they have not yet regained full control on the ground," said the official, who requested anonymity.
- Mortar fire into Lebanon: These tensions led to mortar fire from Syria into Lebanese territory, killing at least three people, including a child. The strikes targeted areas east of the Assi River and the outskirts of Mesherfeh, as well as al-Qasr, Kawakh, Sahlet al-May, and Hoch al-Sayyed Ali.
- Lebanese Army response: On Monday morning, the Lebanese Army said it had responded overnight to the shelling that targeted Lebanon from Syria. The escalation triggered panic among residents in border areas, many of whom fled to the Hermel region, our correspondent reported.
Is Hezbollah involved?
- So far, only Syrian authorities have accused Hezbollah of firing toward Syria.
- A Lebanese Army source denied Hezbollah’s involvement in the border clashes, stating that only Lebanese clan members had participated in the fighting.
Reactions in Lebanon
- In response to the border escalation, Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamadeh called on President Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese Army to protect Lebanese citizens in border areas.
- Naji Hayek, vice president of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which was long allied with Hezbollah, praised the Lebanese Army’s defense of Hermel. "If you try to enter Lebanon again, we will fight you again, no matter what your regime is called," he wrote on X.
BEIRUT — After a night of tensions Sunday in Hermel, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, and a brief period of uneasy calm Monday morning, gunfire was again reported in the area, wounding at least two journalists as Syrian drones flew overhead, according to L'Orient Today's Bekaa correspondent. Read more Massacres in Syria: Why Hezbollah is keeping its distance Monday’s developments at the borderMorning shelling: After a brief period of calm, two shells fired from the Qusayr region in Syria landed near al-Qasr (Baalbek-Hermel), according to our correspondent. Meanwhile, Shahin Syrian reconnaissance drones were observed flying over the border.Midday attack: Just before noon, a rocket fired from Lebanon wounded a journalist and a photographer near the Zaita checkpoint (Homs countryside), according to Syria’s state news...