A line of cars at the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. In addition to the official borders, there are numerous illegal crossing points between the two countries. (Credit: NNA)
The communications office of the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced Saturday the arrest of “12 people, including agents and officers linked to the former regime,” along the porous Lebanese-Syrian border, which stretches for 375 kilometers.
The group was reportedly attempting to enter Syria from Lebanon. In a statement carried by official Syrian television, and later by Syrian and Lebanese media, the ministry said the detainees “were handed over to the competent authorities so that appropriate measures may be taken against them.” According to Syrian television, the arrests took place near Tell Kalakh in the Homs region of western Syria.
The presence in Lebanon of members of the former Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, toppled on Dec. 8, 2024, remains one of the key issues fueling tensions between the two countries. Syria has already sent several messages objecting to the presence on Lebanese territory of thousands of Syrian officers affiliated with the deposed regime, many of them drawn from the elite 4th Division. Syrian officials have also submitted lists of Assad-affiliated officers residing in Lebanon, warning that they could use Lebanese soil to attempt to destabilize Damascus and calling on Lebanese authorities to monitor their activities.
On Dec. 23, former Assad intelligence officer Ghassan al-Soukhni was assassinated in Kesrouan in what appeared to be a criminal case. He was known to be close to Souheil al-Hassan, commander of Assad’s Syrian special forces.
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