Clashes between Lebanese Army and arms traffickers near Syrian border

Clashes occurred Thursday between suspected arms traffickers and a patrol of the Lebanese army on the heights of Aaiha, in the Rachaya district of the Bekaa, according to the information from our local correspondent. The army did not immediately comment on this information.

Weapons were seized following these tensions, which took place just a few kilometers from the Syrian border, and one of the smugglers, wounded by gunfire, was hospitalized.

The Lebanese Army regularly conducts operations in the border region with Syria to try to prevent illegal infiltrations and limit smuggling operations. At the end of March, the Lebanese authorities had also recommended strengthening the troop's capabilities to enable them to carry out this mission along the border with Syria. The issue of border control was also discussed between Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, during a meeting in Jeddah, where they signed a preliminary agreement on the matter, providing a framework for the future delineation of the border. Indeed, several points have never been officially demarcated, making it porous and conducive to smuggling.