Syria has reinforced its border with Lebanon with rocket units and thousands of soldiers as the conflict between Lebanon’s Israel and Hezbollah spreads, eight Syrian and Lebanese sources said on Tuesday.
Among the sources were five Syrian military officers, a Syrian security official and two Lebanese security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Syrian reinforcement operation began in February but has accelerated in recent days, Syrian officials said. The Syrian and Lebanese armed forces did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Syrian officials, including a senior member of the military, said the move was aimed at curbing arms and drug trafficking and preventing Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah or other militants from infiltrating Syria.
Military formations from several Syrian army divisions, including the 52nd and 84th divisions, have expanded their presence across the border in the western Homs countryside and south of Tartus, a Syrian official told Reuters.
The reinforcements include infantry units, armored vehicles and short-range Grad and Katyusha rocket launchers, the official said.
A Syrian security official said Damascus has no plans for military action against any neighboring country. “But Syria is ready to face any security threat to itself or its partners,” he said.
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Still, the move has raised concerns about possible aggression among some European and Lebanese officials.
Syrian military officials vehemently denied any such plans, saying Syria wanted balanced relations with its neighbors after decades of Syrian influence in Lebanon and ties to Hezbollah’s support for the previous government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 14-year civil war.
Syria occupied Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 during the Lebanese Civil War that ended in 1990.
Hezbollah resumed firing on Israel on Monday, more than a year after reaching a ceasefire in 2024.
After that ceasefire, Israel continued daily attacks.
Israel ordered the evacuation of much of southern Lebanon this week, displacing tens of thousands of people. Israeli airstrikes across south Lebanon and south Beirut have killed dozens and prompted thousands to flee toward Syria.
A senior Lebanese security official said Syrian officials told Beirut that Syria’s deployment of rocket launchers along the mountains that form Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria was “a defensive measure against any action or attack Hezbollah may launch against Syria.”
(tags to translate)Iran(T)Israel(T)Lebanon(T)Syria(T)World
