BEIRUT, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon closed illegal border crossings with Syria in the east and north of the country on Wednesday.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that "the Lebanese army has entered the border village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali following the withdrawal of Syrian groups from the area."
In a statement, the army's Directorate of Guidance said, "As part of the efforts to monitor and secure the borders amid the current circumstances and to prevent infiltration and smuggling activities, the army has shut down illegal crossings. These include Matlaba in the Al-Qasr-Hermel region, as well as Al-Fatha, Al Maarawiya, and Sheheit Al-Hajeri in Mashari' Al-Qaa-Baalbek region."
The Lebanese army also announced on social media platform X that it had deployed reinforcements from its special units to the Hermel area near the Lebanese-Syrian border.
A Lebanese military source told Xinhua that army engineering units were working to clear Housh al-Sayyid Ali and its surroundings of remnants from recent clashes and any other obstacles.
On Monday, Syrian and Lebanese defense authorities announced a ceasefire agreement along the two countries' shared border to de-escalate tensions and prevent further hostilities in the border region.
According to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center, affiliated with the Health Ministry, the recent developments on the Lebanese-Syrian border resulted in seven fatalities and 52 injuries.
The Lebanese-Syrian border has long been a hotspot for large-scale smuggling operations. Syria's General Security Forces have launched extensive campaigns to crack down on smugglers and remnants of the former regime in the western countryside of Homs, as part of efforts to safeguard the border between the two countries. ■
