Latest news with #Syria-Lebanon
Shafaq News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syrian-Lebanese border tension: Hezbollah fires on Syrian positions
Shafaq News/ Hezbollah artillery fire hit Syrian army positions near the town of al-Qusayr in Syria's Homs province, Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported on Thursday. A military source cited by the agency reported that Syrian forces responded after identifying the source of the shelling. Planned strikes targeting launch sites inside Lebanese territory were later suspended following a request from the Lebanese army. The source noted that coordination between Damascus and Beirut remains active as both sides continue to evaluate the situation. The shelling came shortly after an explosion targeted a group of worshippers in the Lebanese border village of Hosh al-Sayyid Ali, according to several Lebanese media sources. Tensions along the Syria-Lebanon frontier have since intensified, with both sides reinforcing their positions amid sporadic cross-border skirmishes. The Lebanese army has deployed additional units to strengthen its presence in the area. In March, three members of Syria's General Security Directorate were killed inside Lebanese territory, triggering a surge in violence across the region. Syria's Ministry of Defense accused Hezbollah of carrying out the attack, a claim the group rejected while distancing itself from operations inside Syria. Earlier this month, Syria and Lebanon signed a bilateral defense agreement during meetings in Saudi Arabia. The accord emphasized the importance of formally demarcating the shared border and outlined plans to establish joint legal committees and expand cooperation on legal and security matters
Ya Libnan
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israel kills Hezbollah commander in charge of smuggling arms from Iran
Israel continued its targeted killings of Hezbollah operatives and commanders this week, assassinating a senior commander of the group's Unit 4400 on Sunday. Unit 4400 is Hezbollah's body responsible for smuggling weapons to the group from Iran. At 12:27 pm, Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the village of Kawthariyat Al Saiyad's eastern road in the South Lebanon Governorate's Saida District. Initial reports indicated the strike killed one person and wounded two others . Four hours later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement on the strike, revealing that it had targeted and killed Hussain Ali Nasr, whose nom de guerrewas Abu Ali Hassan, Unit 4400's deputy commander. The IDF's statement noted that Israel had targeted and killed Unit 4400's former commander, Mohammad Jaafar Qasir, on October 1 and his deputy, Ali Hassan Gharib , on October 24, in an airstrike targeting a vehicle in the Mezzeh neighborhood of Damascus. This statement suggests Nasr was Gharib's replacement, and Qasir has also likely been replaced. The IDF said that as part of Nasr's duties, he 'broadly oversaw Hezbollah's armament activities.' More significantly, the IDF said Nasr 'smuggled weapons, materiel, and funds into Lebanon to help Hezbollah rebuild its military capabilities.' The statement's language suggests that Nasr's activities were ongoing and continued after the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire on November 27, 2024, despite the agreement's terms. The IDF also alleged that Nasr advanced and oversaw deals to purchase weapons for Hezbollah from smugglers on the Syria-Lebanon border. As part of these duties, the IDF also claimed that Nasr, 'alongside Iranian officials […] advanced the transfer of weapons and funds to Lebanon, including through Beirut International Airport.' The IDF alleged Nasr was 'in contact with employees at the airport who secretly worked for Hezbollah and facilitated the smuggling.' An April 6 Asharq al Awsat report quoted an anonymous 'informed source' who alleged that Beirut's airport authorities canceled the licenses of over 30 Hezbollah-linked employees who carried travelers' luggage, transferred luggage onto planes, inspected bags, and worked in the lost items section. The source said that these dismissed employees had enjoyed total freedom of movement at the airport, acted as Hezbollah's source of intelligence on travelers, and were employed under pressure from the group. Lebanon's Public Works Ministry told L'Orient-Le Jour that the information in Asharq al Awsat's report was 'not factual.' However, two anonymous employees also told the publication that layoffs and revocations of licenses, particularly among baggage handlers, had occurred, and 'at least some of those targeted are linked to Hezbollah.' One source said these events occurred after Fadi Al Hassan, the interim head of Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport who is allegedly close to Hezbollah, was fired on March 13. However, the source also said they consider the firings 'normal,' given the 'changes occurring in the country following the formation of [Lebanese Prime Minister] Nawaf Salam's government.' The second source also insisted Asharq al Awsat's report was accurate but noted that the individuals who lost their licenses were 'not [airport] employees,' nor did they work for a 'tourism or travel company.' 'These [dismissed] people were given authorizations to enter the airport to meet travelers or to see them off,' the source explained, stating that they 'can no longer do so.' The source also alleged that a Hezbollah-linked employee who worked in Hassan's office also had their access authorization to the airport revoked. Long War Journal
LBCI
14-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria-Lebanon talks focus on border demarcation and missing persons: Sources to LBCI
Sources told LBCI that the ongoing Syria-Lebanon discussions are primarily focused on demarcating and controlling their shared land border, based on a plan developed with Saudi involvement. The talks also address the issue of Lebanese missing persons and the cooperation between Lebanese authorities and their Syrian counterparts to apprehend individuals wanted for justice.
The National
14-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam makes first visit to Syria since taking office
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is in Syria on Monday, his first visit to the neighbouring country since he assumed office in January. Mr Salam is expected to raise the issue of the hundreds of Lebanese who went missing in Syria's prison system during the more than 50-year of rule by the Assad family. The comes amid hope of a new, positive state in Syria-Lebanon relations after the often turbulent rule of the Assad regime. Former president Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December, led by forces headed by Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara. 'I hope to return with good news about those missing in Syria, and I will update the Lebanese people on this issue tomorrow,' Mr Salam said in a speech before his departure. The talks would also touch on the contentious issue of the roughly 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The country, home to one of the world's biggest refugee populations, has sought a comprehensive resolution to the issue of refugee returns. Beirut has long argued that, especially given the economic crisis in Lebanon, it is unable to deal with more than a million Syrian refugees. With the fall of the Assad regime, those calls have grown louder. Mr Salam's predecessor Najib Mikati visited Syria in January to discuss the issue of smuggling with the new leadership in Damascus – around a month before deadly clashes broke on the Syria-Lebanon border between armed factions along the porous frontier. Those clashes have ended and a ceasefire agreed, but the border is yet to be demarcated. The country's defence ministers met in Saudi Arabia last month, where an agreement was signed by both sides to demarcate the border and form 'legal and specialised committees'. They had been due to meet in Damascus but the meeting was postponed as Syria appointed a new government. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also met with Mr Al Shara last month in Cairo where they agreed to better secure the border between the two countries.
The National
14-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to make first visit to Syria since taking office
PM is expected to raise the issue of Lebanese missing in Syria's prison system Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is scheduled to visit Syria on Monday in his first visit to the neighbouring country since he assumed office in January. Mr Salam is expected to raise the issue of the hundreds of Lebanese who went missing in Syria's prison system during the more than 50-year of rule by the Assad family. The comes amid hope of a new, positive state in Syria-Lebanon relations after the often turbulent rule of the Assad regime. Former president Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December, led by forces headed by Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara. 'I hope to return with good news about those missing in Syria, and I will update the Lebanese people on this issue tomorrow,' Mr Salam said in a speech before his departure. The talks would also touch on the contentious issue of the roughly 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The country, home to one of the world's biggest refugee populations, has sought a comprehensive resolution to the issue of refugee returns. Beirut has long argued that, especially given the economic crisis in Lebanon, it is unable to deal with more than a million Syrian refugees. With the fall of the Assad regime, those calls have grown louder. Mr Salam's predecessor Najib Mikati visited Syria in January to discuss the issue of smuggling with the new leadership in Damascus – around a month before deadly clashes broke on the Syria-Lebanon border between armed factions along the porous frontier. Those clashes have ended and a ceasefire agreed, but the border is yet to be demarcated. The country's defence ministers met in Saudi Arabia last month, where an agreement was signed by both sides to demarcate the border and form 'legal and specialised committees'. They had been due to meet in Damascus but the meeting was postponed as Syria appointed a new government. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also met with Mr Al Shara last month in Cairo where they agreed to better secure the border between the two countries.
