Lebanon and Syria Agree to Ceasefire Following Two Days of Border Clashes

Lebanese and Syrian defence officials agreed on a ceasefire late Monday to end two days of border clashes, according to Syria's state-run SANA news agency. The agreement includes "enhanced coordination and cooperation between the two sides," as stated by the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Earlier on Monday, Lebanon's president ordered troops to retaliate against gunfire from the Syrian side after overnight fighting.

Casualties and Accusations

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported seven Lebanese deaths and 52 injuries, including a 4-year-old girl. The violence followed accusations by Syria's interim government that militants from Lebanon's Hezbollah crossed into Syria, abducted three soldiers, and killed them on Lebanese soil. Hezbollah denied involvement, with some reports suggesting local clans involved in smuggling were responsible.

Monday's clashes marked the most serious cross-border fighting since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted in December. The Syrian News Channel reported that the Syrian army shelled "Hezbollah gatherings that killed Syrian soldiers" along the border. Hezbollah reiterated its denial of involvement in a statement on Sunday.

Military Movements and Reactions

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, reported five Syrian soldiers killed during Monday's clashes. Footage showed families fleeing toward Hermel in Lebanon. Lebanon's state news agency noted intensified fighting near Hermel on Monday evening. President Joseph Aoun stated on X that he ordered the Lebanese army to retaliate against the source of fire.

Aoun also instructed Lebanon's foreign minister, attending a donors conference in Brussels, to contact Syrian officials to prevent further escalation. Violence has recently increased between the Syrian military and armed Lebanese Shiite clans allied with Assad's former government, particularly in Lebanon's Al-Qasr border village.

Efforts to Ease Tensions

The Lebanese and Syrian armies have opened communication channels to reduce tensions. Lebanon's military returned the bodies of the three killed Syrians and deployed large numbers of troops in the area. Lebanese media reported low-level fighting at dawn following an attack on a Syrian military vehicle, though casualty numbers were unclear.

Four Syrian journalists embedded with the army were lightly wounded early Monday when an artillery shell from Lebanon hit their position. They accused Hezbollah of the attack. Meanwhile, senior Hezbollah legislator Hussein Haj Hassan accused fighters from Syria of crossing into Lebanon and attacking border villages.

International Concerns

Lebanon seeks international support to fund its military as it deploys troops along its northern and eastern borders with Syria and its southern border with Israel. U.N. envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert warned the Security Council about potential "serious ripple effects" due to Israeli forces' presence on Lebanese territory and ongoing strikes.

On Monday, Israeli strikes targeted several sites in southern Syria, including Daraa city. The Israeli military claimed it was targeting "command centers and military sites containing weapons and military vehicles belonging to the old Syrian regime." Since Assad's fall, Israeli forces have seized territory in southern Syria for border protection.

Syria's Civil Defense reported three deaths and 14 injuries from these strikes, including four children, a woman, and three civil defense volunteers.