View of Syria from a house in Qanafez in Hermel, on Feb. 13, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Lebanon-Syria border has witnessed several incidents. Although the new Syria, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, is not considered an enemy state by Lebanon like Israel is, the turmoil at the eastern border is almost as concerning as those in the south. Especially since recent clashes between Lebanese clans allegedly close to Hezbollah in Hosh al-Sayyed Ali and the Syrian army nearly dragged Lebanon into a new war. This prompted some analysts to reignite the debate around extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which is meant to maintain peace in the south, to include the border with Syria as part of an expanded Resolution 1701.This solution could address the problem of smuggling both ways and especially put a definitive end to the influx of weapons to Hezbollah, a...
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Lebanon-Syria border has witnessed several incidents. Although the new Syria, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, is not considered an enemy state by Lebanon like Israel is, the turmoil at the eastern border is almost as concerning as those in the south. Especially since recent clashes between Lebanese clans allegedly close to Hezbollah in Hosh al-Sayyed Ali and the Syrian army nearly dragged Lebanon into a new war. This prompted some analysts to reignite the debate around extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which is meant to maintain peace in the south, to include the border with Syria as part of an expanded Resolution 1701.This solution could address the problem of smuggling both ways and especially put a definitive end to the influx of weapons to Hezbollah, a...