Fighting Erupts at Lebanon-Syria Border: Soldiers Killed and Families Flee

Fighting broke out overnight between Lebanon and Syria, according to Syrian state media, after three Syrian soldiers were killed. This violence follows earlier battles between the Syrian military and Lebanese groups that support the former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Lebanon is looking for help from other countries to strengthen its military as it sends more troops to its borders with Syria and Israel. Both Lebanese and Syrian armies are trying to communicate to reduce tension. Many families near the border are fleeing to the city of Hermel in Syria due to the fighting and shelling.

According to Syria’s temporary government, members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group crossed into Syria last Saturday, kidnapped three soldiers, and then killed them in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied being involved in this incident, but a British war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that Shia groups were part of it. The details of what happened are still not clear.

A Syrian Defense Ministry official said the Syrian army fired at Hezbollah positions that they claim killed the Syrian soldiers. Although the fighting calmed down after sunrise, there were reports of low-level battles later when a Syrian military vehicle was attacked. The exact number of casualties is still unknown. The Lebanese military said they returned the bodies of the three soldiers to Syria.