BEIRUT, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian smuggler was killed, and another was injured on Saturday in a clash with the Lebanese army on the borderline separating Lebanon and Syria, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.
The sources, who spoke anonymously, said the Lebanese army's Land Borders Regiments exchanged gunfire with a group of four smugglers, who were spotted trying to smuggle goods from the Lebanese side into Syria through an illegal land crossing in the Deir El Aachayer on the east of Mount Hermon Heights, east of Lebanon.
The wounded man was transferred to Rashaya Governmental Hospital, while the other two escaped, the source said.
The border separating Lebanon and Syria has witnessed smuggling and infiltration activities through illegal crossings, despite persistent attempts by Lebanese authorities to control and combat smuggling.
Smuggling occurs in both directions, but smuggling from Lebanon to Syria has become more common with deteriorating economic conditions in the two countries and the sanctions imposed on Syria. This includes smuggling basic goods subsidized by the Lebanese state such as flour, fuel and medicine. ■
