The Lebanese government signed a ceasefire agreement on Monday, March 17, with the HTS-led Syrian interim government following two days of ongoing cross-border clashes.
At least seven Lebanese people and three soldiers of the new Syrian army were reportedly killed, while dozens of others were injured in the clashes, according to the two governments.
The conflict started after Syria’s Defense Ministry accused Hezbollah on Sunday, March 16, of abducting three Syrian soldiers and killing them in Lebanon.
In a statement shared by SANA the Defense Ministry stated: “A group of Hezbollah militia abducted three soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army through an ambush on the Syrian-Lebanese borders near Sadd Zeita in western Homs, before taking them to the Lebanese territories and later eliminating them.”
However, Hezbollah denied any involvement in the incident, with the Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa stating on Monday that those killed from Syria’s side were “three Syrian smugglers whose bodies had been handed over to Syrian authorities.”
Even prior to investigating the incident, the new Syrian army fired rocket shells on the northeastern Lebanese town of Qasr, from the rural parts of Homs governorate.
The Lebanese Health Ministry’s emergency unit clarified that a 15-year-old boy was killed in the Syrian shelling on Sunday, while the remaining six Lebanese citizens were killed on Monday, with 52 others being injured.
Syria breached the ceasefire agreement with new assault on Thursday
Despite sealing the ceasefire agreement, which officials of the two countries said aimed at enhancing bilateral coordination and cooperation, the new Syrian army launched a fresh shelling and gunfire on the Lebanese border town of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali on Thursday, March 20.
The Lebanese National News Agency NNA said that the assault happened during the funeral of one of the town’s residents, and that it was launched from Al Qusayr village in Homs. No casualties have been reported so far.
