Wassim Seifeddine and Ikram Kouachi
29 March 2025•Update: 29 March 2025
BEIRUT
A military expert and a political analyst agreed that coordination between Lebanon and Syria is crucial to preventing additional clashes between the Syrian army and armed Lebanese groups along the border.
The discussion follows a serious escalation in mid-March when armed individuals crossed into Syria, and kidnapped and executed three soldiers. The new Syrian authorities accused Hezbollah of involvement, a claim the group denied.
After days of clashes and gunfire exchanges, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Mansi announced a ceasefire on March 17, following a call aimed at de-escalation.
Damascus later warned that any Hezbollah violations of the agreement would be met with a “firm and direct response.”
Coordination needed to prevent further clashes
Retired Brig. Gen. and strategic expert Naji Malaeb said that “the clashes on the eastern Lebanese-Syrian border initially stemmed from an isolated incident but escalated due to regional conditions.”
Malaeb noted his past military service in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon, emphasizing to Anadolu that “without military and political coordination between Lebanon and Syria, further clashes are likely.”
He explained that violence began after a dispute involving a Lebanese farmer who owns land on both sides of the Orontes River, with half of it in Lebanon and the other half in Syria. The conflict resulted in the abduction and killing of three Syrian soldiers.
Hezbollah’s weapons raise Syrian concerns
Malaeb highlighted the strategic importance of areas like Qasr in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate and other border regions, which serve as links between the Bekaa region and northern Lebanon’s Akkar and North Governorates.
He pointed out that Israel has previously conducted airstrikes in those areas, where Hezbollah maintains significant weapons and ammunition stockpiles -- once used to support the former Assad regime in Syria. With new leadership in Damascus, however, Syrian authorities now view the weapons as a potential future threat.
The situation also escalated following recent instability in Syria’s coastal region. Malaeb said remnants of the regime incited local populations against the new authorities, ultimately seizing a military barracks in Jableh and killing security personnel.
The March 6 attacks on security patrols and checkpoints in coastal areas were the deadliest since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Syrian authorities believe the events were not spontaneous but part of a planned effort supported by external actors to destabilize the region.
Malaeb noted that some military personnel from the former regime fled to Hezbollah-controlled areas in Lebanon after the new government took power in Damascus.
Hezbollah had long-standing ties with the Assad regime, which ruled Syria for 24 years before its collapse in December.
Buffer zone proposed for border stability
Political analyst Tony Boulos placed responsibility for border tensions on Hezbollah, arguing that the group had erased the borders between Lebanon and Syria, much like it did between Syria and Iraq.
“Hezbollah aims to transform Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq into a corridor for Iranian influence,” he told Anadolu.
He noted, however, that Syria’s new leadership is “determined to reassert sovereignty over its borders, a move that Lebanon should also support.”
Syria has started taking steps to secure its borders, while Hezbollah is “working to maintain its presence in the region through tribal affiliations,” according to Boulos.
He suggested that “Syria could request a buffer zone of 10 - 15 kilometers (6 - 9 miles) inside Lebanese territory to push Hezbollah away from the border.”
For lasting stability, Boulos emphasized “the need for military coordination between Lebanon and Syria,” advocating “a demilitarized zone with Lebanese and Syrian army units stationed on either side of the border.”
Following Assad’s removal on Dec. 8, Syria’s new government launched an initiative to reintegrate former regime members into the military and security forces, provided they surrendered their weapons and had no record of war crimes.
While tens of thousands accepted the offer, some former regime loyalists, particularly in Syria’s coastal regions, rejected the deal. The groups later retreated to mountainous areas, launching sporadic attacks against government forces.
The Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers met Thursday in Saudi Arabia, reaffirming the strategic importance of border demarcation and military coordination.
The two officials signed an agreement establishing specialized legal committees to oversee border issues and enhance joint security measures to prevent future conflicts.
