The defense ministries of Syria and Lebanon announced an agreement to cease fire along the Syrian-Lebanese border following hours of tension in the western area of Homs province in central Syria.
In a statement from the Lebanese Ministry of Defense on Monday, March 17, the ministry indicated that the National Defense Minister, Michel Menassa, contacted his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, to discuss the developments along the Lebanese-Syrian border. They agreed to a ceasefire between the two sides, with ongoing communication expected between a directorate in the Lebanese army and the Syrian intelligence.
For its part, the media office of the Syrian Ministry of Defense confirmed the agreement between the two sides to cease fire at the border and to enhance coordination and cooperation between them, according to the official Syrian news agency (SANA).
Just hours before the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, clashes resumed between the Syrian army and Hezbollah in western Homs in the area located on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
SANA reported on Monday, March 17, that the army repelled an advance attempt by Hezbollah on the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali west of the city of al-Qusayr.
Earlier, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that it had expelled Hezbollah from the village and regained control over it, destroying a Hezbollah vehicle loaded with ammunition near Housh al-Sayyid Ali.
The military operations by the Ministry of Defense in the region aim to remove Hezbollah from the Syrian villages it controlled before and during the battles of al-Qusayr in 2013, which the party uses as “temporary locations for smuggling and trade operations,” according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
The clashes at the border erupted following the abduction and field execution of three Syrian army personnel on Sunday, March 16. In response, the defense ministry in the interim Damascus government vowed to retaliate against Hezbollah for the killing of the soldiers and began targeting its positions along the Syrian border, sending reinforcements to the area.
Hezbollah denied, in a statement on Sunday, any involvement in the events on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army reported that after two Syrians were killed and another injured near the Lebanese-Syrian border in the vicinity of al-Qasr-al-Hermel area, the wounded person was transported to a hospital for treatment but later died. Following this, the army implemented “exceptional security measures,” conducted intense communications, and as a result, handed over the three bodies to Syria.