Storm causes partial collapse of Lebanon-Syria Arida border crossing

BEIRUT — A key section of the Arida border bridge on the Lebanese-Syrian border collapsed Friday when torrential rains caused Nahr al-Kabir to overflow, leading to the crossing’s complete closure, L'Orient Today's local correspondent reported.

The collapse came a day after Lebanese General Security suspended traffic at the crossing over fears of structural failure amid a storm that hit the country on Wednesday and Thursday.

Crossings between Lebanon and Syria, including Arida, were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during last year’s war between Hezbollah and Israel. The Arida crossing reopened in June 2025, making it the only legal northern border crossing, as rehabilitation work in other areas is still underway.

Issam Darwish, a mukhtar of the area, said the “disaster was not unexpected,” noting that residents and officials had been warning since October that reducing drainage openings beneath the bridge had effectively turned it into a dam, threatening nearby villages during storms.

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“The blockage of the watercourse and the collapse of the bridge led to rainwater flooding agricultural lands and homes in several towns along the Lebanese side of the river,” he said. Darwish held “relevant authorities responsible due to negligence” and called for an assessment of damage to farmland, the restoration of communication networks and immediate reconstruction of the bridge.

Heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday caused significant damage in northern Lebanon and Akkar. Civil Defense teams rescued a Syrian family of nine on Thursday who were trapped in their home by rising river waters in Abboudieh, Akkar.

“The rescue operation was carried out successfully without injuries, and the necessary measures were taken to ensure the safety of all family members,” Civil Defense said.

Mobile network outages

Severe weather also disrupted mobile phone service. Operator Alfa said its network suffered partial outages and service interruptions in many regions after lightning struck several relay stations during the storm.

The company said technical teams had been working since Thursday noon to repair the damage, but access to some sites remained hampered by poor weather conditions.