An abandoned Syrian camp at the entrance of the locality of Arsal, in the Bekaa, on Oct. 1, 2025. (Illustrative photo: Zeina Antonios/L'Orient Today)
Thirteen men from the border town of Arsal (Baalbek-Hermel) who has been arrested by Syrian authorities for smuggling fuel oil and goods into Syria were released Wednesday after two months and ten days in detention, the village’s municipal president confirmed to L’Orient-Le Jour.
The men had been accused of bringing fuel tankers into Syria through the neighboring Lebanese border village of Qaa (Baalbek-Hermel). Syrian authorities, who initially arrested fifteen people, had released two some time ago before setting the other thirteen free on Wednesday, according to information obtained by our correspondent Sarah Abdallah and confirmed by Mayor Mounir Hojeiry.
According to Hojeiry, the released individuals “returned to the village last night (Wednesday).” “These men have not yet been questioned by Lebanese authorities,” he said. As for the two who were released earlier, they are reportedly of Syrian origin, he added.
Smuggling operations are frequently reported along the Lebanon-Syria border, which remains highly porous despite efforts undertaken since the fall of the Assad regime to curb trafficking.
The release comes as Syria’s Minister of Justice, Mazhar Abdel-Rahmane al-Oueis, stated Tuesday night that “there are no longer any Lebanese prisoners in Syria.”
It also coincides with the visit of a Lebanese judicial delegation to Damascus on Wednesday to discuss a proposed agreement allowing for the transfer to Syria of Syrian detainees and convicts held in Lebanese prisons.
It is unknown for now whether there is a link between the release of the Arsal residents and this delegation’s visit.
