Syria points finger at Hezbollah as fighting erupts on border with Lebanon

Along Lebanon’s southern border, fighting has broken out.

Following weekend skirmishes that resulted in the deaths of three Syrian soldiers, the violence continued overnight and into Monday. Hezbollah, an armed Lebanese group, is reportedly in contact with military officials in order to stop the violence from spreading, as Damascus has claimed.

According to unnamed officials, Syrian state media reported that the Syrian army had overnight shelled “Hezbollah gatherings that killed the Syrian soldiers” along the border.

Lebanon’s national army command confirmed the fighting on Monday and stated it had sent reinforcements to “control the security situation” in a statement to the official National News Agency.

Unconfirmed reports claimed Lebanese armed groups were involved in the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in the United Kingdom.

Numerous Lebanese troops were being stationed in the area, according to Lebanon’s military.

Following an attack on a Syrian military vehicle, Lebanon’s media reported early morning fighting.

Four journalists who were working alongside the Syrian army were seriously hurt early on Monday when a shell fired from the Lebanese side hit their position. Hezbollah was charged with initiating the attack, according to them.

Accusations

Which Lebanese organizations are involved in the conflict, it hasn’t been confirmed.

Hezbollah was accused of abducting three soldiers on Lebanese soil on Saturday and then killing them by entering Syria under the auspices of the interim government.

Recently, there has been an increase in violence between the Syrian military and armed Lebanese clans affiliated with President Bashar al-Assad’s ousted regime.

In Syria’s violent outcry last week, al-Assad’s supporters and Alawite community members had a sizable death toll.

According to reports from Lebanon’s media, the clans were also kidnapped.

The Syrian and Lebanese armies claim to have been negotiating border tensions. The three soldiers’ bodies were delivered to Syria by the Lebanese military, according to the statement.

On Monday, there were no pending reports of additional casualties. However, reports suggest that Syrian civilians fleeing to Hermel in Syria over the weekend due to shelling and fighting.

The border between Lebanon and Syria is 375 kilometers (233 miles) long and has rugged terrain with few clear lines of sight in many areas.

Hezbollah has denied being a part of the soldiers’ kidnapping and murder.

Hussein Haj Hassan, a senior Hezbollah legislator, claimed that Syrian fighters entered Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV territory and attacked border villages in an interview.

As Lebanon gradually deploys troops along its porous northern and eastern borders with Syria and along its southern border with Israel, it has been looking for international support to boost funding for its military.