Beirut, Lebanon- The Lebanese army said on Monday it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle 27 Syrians across the Mediterranean Sea into northern Lebanon, as part of a broader crackdown on illicit border activity.
A naval patrol intercepted the group off the coast of al-Arida, near the northern border with Syria, according to a statement by the military’s Directorate of Guidance cited by the state-run National News Agency.
Simultaneously, the army reported a series of security operations across eastern and central Lebanon, detaining at least six wanted individuals and seizing weapons and ammunition.
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In the Baalbek region, army units arrested two suspects in the towns of Addous and Majdaloun, and confiscated firearms and military-grade ammunition. In the southern suburb of Khaldeh, two more individuals were detained for illegal weapons possession and opening fire.
Separately, a military checkpoint in Wadi al-Turkman near Hermel, close to the Syrian border, arrested a Lebanese and a Syrian national carrying weapons, ammunition, and narcotics.
The arrests come amid a renewed Lebanese military push to secure its porous eastern border with Syria. Last Friday, the army began implementing “exceptional security measures” in the border region, following armed clashes in Syria’s Homs countryside. Syrian interim government forces were reportedly fired upon from Lebanese territory, triggering a brief confrontation.
Read also: Lebanese Army Shuts Down Two Illegal Crossings with Syria
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced the formation of joint Lebanese-Syrian committees to address key bilateral issues, including border demarcation and the status of Syrian refugees.
The announcement follows earlier coordination between Beirut and Damascus on efforts to curb weapons trafficking and manage the refugee crisis. Lebanon hosts an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, straining national infrastructure and political consensus.
