The Ministry of Defense in the interim government of Damascus has vowed to respond to the execution of three Syrian soldiers by the Lebanese Hezbollah after their abduction from the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The Syrian official news agency (SANA) reported on Sunday, March 16, that the ministry “will take all necessary measures following this serious escalation by the militia (Hezbollah).”
The Ministry of Defense clarified that a group affiliated with Hezbollah kidnapped three members of the Syrian army through an ambush on the Syrian-Lebanese border near the Zaita dam west of Homs, before taking them into Lebanese territory and executing them on the spot.
A video clip shared on social media, which was reviewed by Enab Baladi, showed one of the Syrian army members being stoned after his abduction, who was later executed.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah denied its involvement in the events at the Syrian-Lebanese border through a statement issued on Sunday, emphasizing that it has no connection to any events occurring within Syrian territory.
On Monday, March 17, the Lebanese army reported that after the killing of two Syrians and the injury of another at the Lebanese-Syrian border in the vicinity of the al-Qasr-Hermel area, the injured person was taken to a hospital for treatment but soon passed away.
The Lebanese army then took “exceptional security measures, and made extensive communications” resulting in the delivery of the three corpses to Syria.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Lebanese Red Cross transferred three bodies found near the earthen barrier in the border town of al-Qasr to the Hermel government hospital, and the Lebanese army later handed over the bodies to the Syrian side at the al-Jousiya-al-Qaa border crossing through the Red Cross.
The Syrian army targeted positions of Hezbollah at the Syrian border and sent reinforcements to the border area, according to video clips shared by activists on social media.
According to the NNA, several rocket shells fell in the border town of al-Qasr, originating from the countryside of the city of al-Qusayr, west of Homs.
In response, the Lebanese army targeted the sources of fire with “appropriate weapons” after Lebanese villages and towns were subjected to shelling from Syrian territory and enhanced its deployment in the area, as stated by the Lebanese army.
It added that communications are ongoing between the army leadership and Syrian authorities to maintain security and stability in the border area.
In February, the Syrian-Lebanese border witnessed clashes between the Syrian army and Hezbollah following a campaign launched by the Border Security Administration of the Ministry of Defense in the town of Hawik on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The aim of the campaign was to close smuggling routes for weapons and drugs, resulting in the arrest of several wanted individuals involved in illegal smuggling operations, in addition to seizing quantities of weapons and drugs they possessed.
The campaign involved tanks, armored vehicles, drones, and heavy weapons.
On February 9, three days after the clashes, the Lebanese army announced the implementation of security measures along the northern and eastern borders with Syria.
The army leadership stated it responded to the sources of fire while enhancing security monitoring through increased military patrols and establishing new observation points, as well as setting up barriers to control any suspicious movements.