The ministerial commission tasked with examining measures to secure Lebanon's borders and combat smuggling recommended on Thursday to “strengthen the army’s capabilities, in both equipment and manpower, to enable it to more effectively fight against smuggling and arrest smugglers.” The commission convened at the Grand Serail under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with the attendance of Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, Defense Minister Michel Menassa, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, and Public Works Minister Fayez Rassamny.

At the end of the meeting, the commission praised the Lebanese Army’s role in protecting citizens and urged Defense Minister Menassa to continue communicating with his Syrian counterpart to resolve the causes of recent border clashes and prevent future conflicts.

Clashes on the Lebanese-Syrian border, especially in the Hermel area, have been ongoing for weeks. These tensions involve Lebanese clans affiliated with Hezbollah and the Syrian army (former members of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, HTS). The most recent conflict began on Sunday after an incident described by the Lebanese side as an "infiltration" of Syrian soldiers into Lebanon, near the village of al-Qasr. Damascus, however, referred to it as an ambush in which Syrian soldiers were “liquidated” by Hezbollah, a claim which Hezbollah denies. Exchanges of fire involving the Lebanese army have also been reported. After new clashes on Tuesday night, the Lebanese Army deployed to Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, in northern Bekaa, at the Syrian border, following the withdrawal of the Syrian army.

Additionally, the commission recommended the implementation of the Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategy, calling it “a necessity for effectively tracking executive measures by the concerned ministries.”

Despite a ceasefire on Thursday, gunfire was reported from Syria toward the Lebanese border town of Hoch el-Sayed Ali in northern Bekaa during the funeral of a man killed in previous clashes between Lebanese clans and members of the new Syrian security forces. According to Sarah Abdallah, our correspondent in Bekaa, the shots did not appear to result in injuries.

In this context, MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah and president of the Baalbeck-Hermel parliamentary bloc, praised the Lebanese Army's role during the recent clashes and its deployment at Hoch el-Sayed Ali. He called on local “clans” and residents of the region to “embrace the Lebanese Army and stand by it, as we continue to believe in the equation of the army, the people, and the resistance,” with the resistance referring to Hezbollah’s weapons. Hajj Hassan also warned against individuals trying to “sow discord between the Lebanese people and between Lebanon and Syria,” pointing to “the shadow of the United States.” Videos circulated on Wednesday showed residents of Hoch el-Sayed Ali spitting on the army and accusing it of “treason” during its deployment in the village.

A Roadmap for Syrian Refugee Return

In a separate development, the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was discussed in a meeting on Thursday by the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, with the UNHCR representative in Lebanon, Ivo Freijsen.

MP Fady Alamé (from the Amal Movement bloc) stated, “The purpose of this meeting with the UNHCR today was to discuss the displaced persons issue, especially in light of the new influx towards Baalbeck, Hermel, and Akkar regions due to developments in Syria.” According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, massacres along Syria's coastal regions have killed over 1,200 civilians, mainly from the Alawite community, driving more than 13,000 Syrians to seek refuge in neighboring Lebanese areas, particularly in the North and northern Bekaa.

Alamé emphasized that the discussion focused on the decreasing aid from the UNHCR due to resource shortages. While 800,000 families were receiving $145 per month, this number could soon drop to just 200,000 families, adding increasing pressure on both Lebanon and the refugees. “The UNHCR claims the number of refugees has reduced to 1.4 million after a wave of returns to Syria, but we estimate the number at over two million,” Alamé pointed out. He believes that the political reasons for their presence in Lebanon no longer exist and have been replaced by economic reasons.

Therefore, the Foreign Affairs Committee recommended that “Lebanese authorities coordinate with Syrian authorities to develop a roadmap aimed at accelerating the return of refugees.”