Lebanon leader hails reopening of Jordan-Syria crossing

The reopening of a border crossing linking Jordan to Syria will greatly benefit Lebanon’s economy, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Monday.

The Jaber-Naseeb border crossing was opened early Monday morning following a three-year closure.

In a statement, Aoun said that reopening the crossing would facilitate the movement of both people and goods from Lebanon to other states of the region -- and vice versa.

According to the Lebanese president, the move will “revive Lebanon’s struggling export sector and reduce the cost of exporting Lebanese goods to other Arab countries”.

There are two main border crossings linking Jordan to Syria, which has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 after the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

With the help of Russia and Iran-backed militias, the Syrian regime has recently reassumed control of the two crossings following fierce battles with armed opposition groups that had held them for the last three years.