Clashes on Lebanese-Syrian border leave 7 dead, 52 injured: Health Ministry

Clashes along Syria's border with Lebanon over the past two days have killed seven people and injured 52, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Monday.

On Monday alone, six people died and 42 were injured, while Sunday saw a 15-year-old killed and 10 people wounded, including a 4-year-old girl, the statement said.

Earlier Monday, Syria's SANA news agency quoted an unnamed Defense Ministry source as saying that Syrian troops aimed to expel members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group from villages and areas used for smuggling and drug trafficking.

The Syrian Defense Ministry accused the group on Sunday of abducting and killing three of its soldiers near the border with Lebanon. Hezbollah denied the accusation.

The ministry said it will take “all necessary measures” in response to the “dangerous escalation” by the group.

Earlier, Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported that rockets fell in Al-Qasr, a town in northeastern Lebanon, on Sunday evening, saying that they originated from the Al-Qusayr area in Syria's Homs province.

On Monday morning, the Lebanese army announced that it had coordinated with Syrian authorities to secure the border and maintain stability, handing over three bodies to Syria.

Syria's government aims to tighten security and reinforce control over its borders, including with Lebanon, targeting drug smugglers and remnants of the former regime stirring unrest.

The Lebanon-Syria border, spanning 375 kilometers (233 miles), features rugged terrain with no clear demarcation in many areas. While six official border crossings exist, the region remains porous, with frequent activity at unauthorized routes.

Hezbollah had maintained strong ties with the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, who ruled from 2000 to 2024.

Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.