Syria’s new government has only been in power for two months. Ahmed Shara’a was only proclaimed the president of the country in late January. Now, he and his new team face a challenge. Lebanon is becoming a headache for the new Syrian government. This is because Hezbollah is still active in Lebanon, and it is trying to destabilize parts of Syria. Recent clashes in an area of Syria near the Lebanese border are an example of the challenge. The clashes come after the Syrian government sought to crack down on lawlessness, smuggling, and illicit activities.
This is important because US Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus was just in Lebanon. Lebanon has a new government, which includes a new prime minister and a new president. The new president is a former army commander. Lebanon’s army has failed to rein in Hezbollah, but it appears Lebanon is talking tough about Syria. Lebanon senses Syria’s new government is weak, and Lebanon’s army has a lot of American-supplied equipment.
By contrast, Syria’s government has only a handful of leftover Syrian regime equipment, such as old tanks that date from the 1990s or the Soviet era. Most of Syria’s modern military equipment was destroyed in a decade of war or in Israeli airstrikes on December 8, which were designed to prevent the Assad regime’s military equipment from falling into the wrong hands.
Now, clashes between Syria and Lebanon could grow. Al-Ain media in the UAE notes a “Lebanese military buildup heading towards the border with Syria.” The report says that “tensions threaten to escalate in the Lebanese-Syrian border area, the most prominent manifestations of which are clashes between military groups on both sides.” According to the report, the Lebanese army and the Syrian Border Security Administration have both mobilized forces.
Syria’s new government, which came to power after the fall of the Assad regime, says it is working to "close the outlets for smuggling weapons and contraband," while Lebanon considered it an "attack.” However, Syria’s state media, SANA, does not seem to think the operation is a major success because state media hasn’t mentioned it much. Damascus knows this is a challenge.
Unifying factions?
Syria only recently has unified some of the factions from the era before December 8. Recently, Damascus sent forces into Afrin, an area in northwest Syria. Syria is having a difficult time controlling the countryside. Syria has announced the seizure of weapons before they were smuggled to Hezbollah over the past two months. According to reports, Shara’a called Joseph Aoun, the new president of Lebanon.
While the Lebanese presidency's statement on the call was brief and merely referred to the two presidents' agreement to "coordinate to control the situation on the Lebanese-Syrian border and prevent targeting civilians," the Syrian presidency said that Aoun was congratulated by Shara’a on assuming the presidency, stressing the need to "strengthen cooperation between the two countries to achieve security and peace for their people,” the Al-Ain report says.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the army is mobilizing to northern Lebanon, where the clashes have continued. The clashes are in an area near Qusayr. This was a transit point for Hezbollah to enter Syria in 2012 to help the Assad regime. There is a lot of history between Lebanon and Syria. Syria occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005.
It was occupied due to the Lebanese Civil War. Then, when Syria fell into civil war in 2011, it was Lebanon’s turn to get involved in Syria. Hezbollah sent units to Syria to bolster Assad. When Israel and Hezbollah fought a war that escalated in September and October 2024, the Assad regime was weakened. This led to the regime’s downfall.
Lebanon’s army has sent orders to military units deployed on the northern and eastern borders to respond to the sources of fire launched from Syrian territory and targeting Lebanese territory, Al-Ain reported. "These units began responding with appropriate weapons, against the backdrop of the recent clashes during which several Lebanese areas were subjected to shelling and gunfire." The Lebanese report shelling from Syria into Lebanon.
“Army units are also implementing exceptional security measures along the border, including establishing observation points, conducting patrols, and setting up temporary barriers,” the report says. The reports also say that the army has deployed to an area near Mount Hermel in northern Lebanon. A Lebanese army watchtower has been hit by an artillery shell fired from the Syrian side.
The Lebanese “municipalities of Hermel district demanded the army’s intervention to stop ‘the repeated attacks on Lebanese villages from the Syrian side,’ which the statement said had led to deaths and injuries. The statement called on the Lebanese army to ‘confront these aggressive acts,’” Al-Ain reported.
Meanwhile, Syria’s SANA says that Syria is trying to deal with smuggling and contraband that is being moved through the border. Syria’s government said that the campaign resulted in the arrest of a number of wanted persons involved in illegal smuggling operations, in addition to seizing quantities of weapons and contraband that were in their possession, Al-Ain noted. Syria also says that several Syrians have been “kidnapped” into Lebanon. This could have been done by gangs or clans that are near the border.
Syrian security forces in the Homs Governorate also confirmed that they are working to "firmly confront the armed remnants and smuggling gangs that are working to destabilize the region and harm the interests of the Syrian and Lebanese peoples,” the Al-Ain report added.
Al-Akhbar media in Lebanon, which is considered pro-Hezbollah, noted that the clashes are between “clans” in the north of the Bekaa valley and the forces in Syria. “The rocket attack began by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants from Syrian territory towards the Lebanese border, while the tribal militants were still committed to the army’s decision not to respond to the source of the fire. However, as the shelling continued from the Syrian side, the tribal militants returned to respond to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants,” the report says. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the group that swept to power on December 8 in Syria. Its leaders and officials are now considered to be the Syrian government.
This could be the largest challenge for Damascus in terms of security. As Shara’a continues to host foreign delegations, he may need to focus more clearly on what is happening between Syria and Lebanon, lest the clashes grow.