While the Lebanese army is busy overseeing the ceasefire with Israel in the south, it faces another significant challenge on the northern border with Syria. The advance of the armed forces, led by “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” and its allies in the Aleppo and Homs area, to the outskirts of the city of Hama, led the army headquarters to special preparations for fear of the arrival of extremist groups to the Lebanese border or the activation of dormant terrorist cells within the country.
A Lebanese security source told Al-Sharq Al-Awast that the army has deployed missile launchers and will increase forces on the Syria-Lebanon border. “There is an extensive deployment of the army in the Akhar and Alabak-Harmel region, which includes two border battalions, two brigades and companies of special units,” the source noted and emphasized that “this is an open area where securing the border is not a simple task.”
The main fear is a repeat of the events of 2014, when ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra forces broke into the town of Arsal on the border, killed soldiers and civilians and took control of large areas in the Lebanese-Syrian border area for years. In addition, there is a fear of activating dormant terrorist cells at the same time as developments in Syria, Especially in light of the presence of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees throughout Lebanon.
Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) George Nader, a resident of the northern border area, estimates that the reinforcements carried out by the army are not significant and are mainly intended to prepare for an emergency. According to him, “securing the northern border is easier than the eastern border, since there is a river separating the countries and the number of crossings is limited.” He added that “currently there is no fear of dramatic developments, especially in light of the fact that Lebanon has entered the ‘American era’ following the cease-fire agreement.”
Earlier this week it was reported that the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army commander Joseph Aon agreed on a new plan for the deployment of forces in the south of the country. According to the plan, 6,000 soldiers will be stationed in the area south of the Litani River, with the aim of tightening control and supervision following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army has been suffering from a severe budget crisis in recent years. The soldiers’ salaries have been eroded dramatically following the economic crisis in the country, and their real value has dropped by about 95% since 2019. Many of the soldiers are forced to work additional jobs to make a living.