Clashes along the border between Syrian forces and local Lebanese armed groups have
intensified yesterday. The clashes continue to take place in the town of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali.
According to early reports, the Syrian Army has opened fire at Lebanese individuals who were
returning to the town after a brief cessation of engagements.
The Significance of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali
The town of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali is one that has historically been impacted by local and regional
tensions. Border demarcations, land ownership and resource sharing are only some of the
many sources of tension for residents in the area and authorities on both sides of the border.
Geographically, the town is situated on the Syrian part of the borders as part of the Homs
governorate. Its inhabitants, however, are largely Lebanese, similar to a number of villages in
the Syrian region of Qusayr.
The region has historically been highly porous, with Lebanese residents and visitors casually
walking into their properties.
Importantly, Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali and nearby regions are also host to local tribes and armed
gunmen. While many have attributed the original clashes between Lebanese and Syrian groups
to smuggling, the current clashes appear independent of such activity.
The Agreement Between Lebanon and Syria
On Tuesday, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and Syrian Defense Minister Mourhaf
Abou Qasra had reached an agreement via phone call.
The agreement included maintaining communication between the two countries’ intelligence
services to prevent the situation from deteriorating even further.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also reportedly asked Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, who is
attending the annual donor conference in Brussels, to engage with the Syrian delegation and
resolve the issue as soon as possible according to a Megaphone report.
However, with matters continuing to worsen, the Lebanese population fears entering yet
another fragile and loose ceasefire agreement.
A Precarious Security Situation
Lebanon finds itself grappling with an extremely precarious security situation across all of its
land borders.
Hopes were originally up after the onset of the conditional ceasefire agreement between
Hezbollah and Israel, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
At present, however, Israeli forces have continued their occupation of southern Lebanese
areas, and have continued their strikes across Lebanese territories mostly in the South and the
Bekaa region. On the Syrian borders, clashes have continued for around five days and show
inconsistent signs of abatement.
Three days ago, Israel unilaterally ended the ceasefire agreement and resumed its genocidal
campaign in Gaza, which continues to be the main trigger of tensions across the region overall.
While a few months ago the region seemed to be heading toward a regional cessation of
hostilities, the events of the past weeks point to extremely fragile agreements, and the
potential of continued insecurity for the upcoming weeks at least.
