The authorities of Lebanon and Syria have reached an agreement in Saudi Arabia on “the importance of border demarcation” and the “activation of coordination mechanisms to address military and security threats”, after the confrontations recorded during the last weeks in the area.
The agreement has been reached by the Ministers of Defense of Lebanon and Syria, Michel Menasa and Murhaf Abú Qasra, respectively, during a meeting “to address matters of mutual interest aimed at achieving security and stability” that has been mediated by its Saudi Arabian counterpart, Jalid Bin Salmán Bin Abdulaziz, as collected by the Saudi state agency, SPA.
“The two parties have signed an agreement that underlines the strategic importance of the border demarcation, the establishment of Syrian-Libanese specialized committees on several sectors and the activation of coordination mechanisms to address military threats and security, particularly those originated at the border,” he said.
Likewise, Menasa and Abú Qasra have agreed to maintain a follow -up meeting in Saudi Arabia in the future, while Riad has expressed his “total support” to “all measures that achieve security and stability in two sister nations and contribute to maintaining regional safety and stability.”
In this context, the Lebanese army has announced in a statement the arrest during the last hours of 56 Syrian citizens for “illegally entering Lebanese territory”, in an operation “against infiltration and smuggling” that has resulted in the seizure of four vehicles, three motorcycles, drugs, ammunition and “military equipment”.
The border, where on Monday six “illegal crosses” were destroyed by Lebanon, has been a scenario during the last weeks for tensions between Lebanese clans near the Chií Hezbollah party and the new Syrian authorities, established after the fall in December of Basha (HTS).
The authorities of Syria and Lebanon announced on March 17 an agreement to end their exchange of shooting at the border, after Damascus denounced the death of several agents at the hands of Hezbollah, which was disconnected from what happened. The fighting resulted in at least eleven dead on the Syrian side and eight in the Lebanese.