Gas canisters and a burned vehicle on March 20, 2025, three days after clashes between Lebanese clans and Syrian forces in the Lebanese village of Qasr, near Hosh al-Sayyed Ali in Hermel. (Credit: Emmanuel Haddad/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Heavy machine gun fire and artillery shells were fired from Syria into northern Lebanon’s Akkar region on Thursday morning, critically injuring one person, according to L’Orient Today’s regional correspondent.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, but previous incidents have occurred that were linked to clashes involving smuggling gangs operating on both sides of the Nahr al-Kabir river, which marks the border between Lebanon and Syria. The Lebanese Army and security services are monitoring the situation, and investigations are underway.
According to our correspondent, some shells fell on the al-Talil highway in Qoubaiyat (Akkar district) and another shell penetrated the roof of a shop at the junction of the village of Ain Tanta (Akkar), where a person was critically injured in his neck.
The Lebanese Red Cross transported the injured man to the Youssef Hospital Center in Halba for treatment and is now being transferred to the Notre Dame des Secours - University Hospital in Jbeil due to his critical condition.
In recent months, Syria and Lebanon engaged in discussions on delineating the land border between the two countries, which is porous and open to trafficking. Clashes, reportedly related to a smuggling operation, occurred in recent months between Syrian security forces and Lebanese members of “Shiite clans” living near the border.
A Lebanese security and military delegation has been touring authorities in Damascus since Tuesday, in a visit focused on border security issues and strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
