ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s Ministry of Defense on Sunday stated that a group from the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, ambushed, abducted and executed three Syrian army soldiers in border regions between Lebanon and Syria, while Hezbollah has denied involvement. "A group of Hezbollah militia members carried out an ambush, kidnapping three members of the Syrian Arab Army on the Syrian-Lebanese border near the Zeita Dam, west of Homs, they then took them into Lebanese territory and executed them in the field," the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited the Syrian defense ministry as stating. "The Ministry of Defense will take all necessary measures following this dangerous escalation by the Hezbollah militia," the ministry added. In response, Hezbollah on Sunday denied “any involvement in the events that occurred on the Lebanese-Syrian border.” The state-run Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) on Sunday cited Hezbollah as “categorically denying any connection to the events that took place today on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” adding that it “has no connection to any events occurring within Syrian territory." The NNA also reported that the Lebanese Army, through the Lebanese Red Cross, transferred the bodies of the deceased to Damascus, and that "Lebanese security services have begun an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify the parties involved." Later in the evening, several rocket shells were reportedly fired at the border town of al-Qasr in Lebanon’s northeastern Baalbek-Hermel governorate, from Qusayr city in Syria’s western province of Homs, according to the Lebanese state-run agency. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday reported on the killing of "three members of the Ali ibn Abi Talib Brigade, affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense, in an ambush by gunmen believed to be members of smuggling gangs loyal to Hezbollah." "A quarrel took place between members of Lebanese tribes and members of the Ali ibn Abi Talib Brigade, which ended with the stabbing of one of the tribesmen. Following this, the brigade members were lured into Lebanese territory and killed,” the UK-based war monitor reported. The Lebanese-Syrian border is geographically complex, characterized by mountains, valleys, and plains, with no clear demarcations separating the two countries. The two sides share six land border crossings, extending over a distance of about 375 kilometers. This is not the first time skirmishes have occurred along the Lebanon-Syria border since the new Syrian leadership, under interim President and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham leader, assumed power in Damascus. In early February, the NNA reported that the Lebanese Army began responding with "appropriate weapons" to sources of fire that targeted Lebanese territory from within Syria. The Army Command issued orders to military units deployed on the northern and eastern borders to "respond to the sources of fire launched from Syrian territory targeting Lebanese land." The Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, had directed this response following recent clashes that saw several Lebanese areas subjected to shelling and gunfire," NNA explained. Aoun had also coordinated with Syrian President Sharaa to ensure security along the border between the two countries. The new Syrian leadership has expressed keenness to strengthen its security presence along the border with neighboring countries, including Lebanon, as part of broader efforts to stabilize domestic conditions and combat drug smuggling and remnants of the previous regime.
