Lebanese Defense Minister in Jeddah for a meeting with Syrian counterpart

The Lebanese Defense Minister, Michel Menassa, and his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, arrived Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they are scheduled to hold a meeting with the participation of their respective delegations. Some regional media report that these meetings have begun.

Initially planned for Wednesday in Damascus, the meeting was eventually moved to Jeddah. A Syrian government source told AFP that this postponement was due to the "ongoing preparations for the formation of a new government" in Syria. An Islamist-led coalition took power in Damascus on Dec. 8, and the new leaders announced the formation of a full-fledged government to succeed the interim cabinet, but it has not yet been officially formed.

The discussions between the two delegations focused notably on the situation at the border, particularly porous between the two countries. In addition to smuggling, this area has been marked by clashes in February and March between "clans" reputedly close to Hezbollah and the new Syrian security forces.

Lebanon shares a 330-kilometer border with Syria without official demarcation in several areas, making it quite permeable and conducive to smuggling. The new Syrian authorities announced, at the beginning of February, the launch of a security operation in the Homs border region to "close the smuggling routes of weapons and goods," while the Lebanese army regularly announces the closure of illegal border crossings on the Lebanese side.

Hezbollah, which fought alongside the forces of the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime starting in 2011 during the Syrian civil war, until recently exerted influence over large portions of the border. However, the party was significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel.

The Defense Minister also held talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Khaled bin Salman bin Abdelaziz. No details of their meeting were released.