Enab Baladi – Muwafaq al-Khouja

The clashes that occurred between the Syrian government forces and armed elements likely belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah in the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali west of Homs have brought attention back to the long-stalled issue of border demarcation between Syria and Lebanon.

Fighting broke out in Housh al-Sayyid Ali between the Syrian and Lebanese sides following the killing of three Syrian army personnel, who were reportedly kidnapped and executed inside Lebanon on March 16.

The Lebanese narrative differed from the Syrian one, as the Lebanese army stated that Syrian smugglers were killed at the Lebanese-Syrian border and their bodies were transferred to the Syrian side.

In turn, Hezbollah denied any involvement in the events occurring on the Syrian-Lebanese border in a statement reported by al-Manar TV.

The following day, clashes resumed after Hezbollah fighters were expelled from the village, and then calmed after a few hours, leading the Syrian and Lebanese armies to reach a ceasefire agreement.

On March 19, Lebanese media sources reported the entry of the Lebanese army into the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali, announcing the initiation of security patrols in coordination with the Syrian side.

These Lebanese movements raised questions about the coordination mechanisms between the two sides and revived the issue of border demarcation.

Syrian or Lebanese?

The village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali, adjacent to al-Qusayr in the Homs countryside of Syria, is among the geographically and demographically intertwined villages on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

The residents of Housh al-Sayyid Ali and the surrounding villages are a mix of Syrians and Lebanese, although it is geographically considered to be within Syrian territory and has long been used as a passageway for smuggling operations to and from Lebanon through illegal crossings.

Hezbollah has also used it as a corridor between Syria and Lebanon, until it was bombed multiple times by Israeli aircraft following its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The area is considered a stronghold for Hezbollah, and many of its residents are loyal to or aligned with the party.

The village is located within the Baalbek-Hermel governorate in eastern Lebanon, which includes 32 Lebanese towns, and Lebanese circles treat Housh al-Sayyid Ali as one of the Lebanese towns.

Is demarcation an urgent necessity?

Nawar Shaaban, a researcher at the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies, believes that demarcating the border with Lebanon is an essential necessity but not a priority, due to security issues on both sides.

According to Shaaban’s statements to Enab Baladi, the priority for both sides, before discussing border demarcation, is to establish an agreement between the Syrian and Lebanese ministries of defense to secure the area, and then an agreement can be reached on demarcation.

For his part, Colonel Abdul Moneim Dahar, from the Syrian interim government’s Ministry of Defense, stated earlier to Enab Baladi that the liaison officer of the Syrian army coordinated and communicated with his Lebanese counterpart to withdraw both sides from the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali on the border with Lebanon.

Both sides agreed, according to Dahar, to ensure the return of civilians to the village without military presence inside the town, with their positioning outside the borders of Housh al-Sayyid Ali.

The Lebanese al-Modon newspaper reported that a military meeting took place between the Syrian and Lebanese sides, during which the latter presented documents proving the Lebanese ownership of the village; after some discussion, the Syrian side conceded and requested an additional 24 hours for the Lebanese side to withdraw from the town.

Enab Baladi contacted the Ministry of Defense to inquire about what al-Modon reported but did not receive a response by the time of publishing the report.

Abdul Rahman Joukhadar, the media relations officer in Homs, who is responsible for communication between the media and government representatives in the region, briefly indicated in a response to Enab Baladi that “there is no border demarcation problem between the two sides.”

For his part, researcher Nawar Shaaban mentioned that border demarcation is a fundamental matter between any two states to maintain security, but in this case, the geography has been devoid of borders for years prior to the Syrian revolution.

He further added that the issue of border demarcation is a primary interest, but it is hindered by the security situation. Therefore, this dilemma must be resolved, and it cannot be dealt with reactively, as this leads to draining the Syrian military institution.

For many years

There are dozens of points along the Syrian-Lebanese border, which spans about 375 kilometers and has many interconnected areas within Syrian and Lebanese territories, particularly in Homs and al-Qusayr.

These overlapping areas have long been used for smuggling operations by both sides, inhabited by Lebanese tribes of the Shiite community, and were outside the authority of the previous Syrian regime while these tribes had kinship ties with Syrian residents.

These tribes also have ties to Hezbollah based on sectarian loyalties, and their areas have been used to establish illegal crossings named after these tribes, which the Lebanese state has repeatedly sought to close.

Additionally, some points in Lebanon are located within Syrian territory in the Qalamoun region in southern Syria near Lebanese Arsal, such as the Lebanese town of Tufail, which is located within Syrian geography and has also been used by Hezbollah as a military area, launching operations into Syrian territory against opposition factions alongside the previous regime.

Lebanon has long demanded the previous regime to delineate the borders over many years, but the latter has procrastinated and at times evaded the issue.

1680

The ongoing dispute between Lebanon and Syria regarding the shared border and certain disputed points is longstanding, primarily rooted in the issue of the Shebaa Farms, which is disputed between Lebanon and Syria and is under Israeli occupation.

The conflict prompted the Security Council to issue Resolution 1680, which complemented a previous UN resolution numbered 1559 that called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces not Lebanese from Lebanon and the disarmament of militias, referring to Hezbollah.

The clashes that took place in Housh al-Sayyid Ali have rekindled discussions around returning to Resolution 1680, which calls for the demarcation of borders between Syria and Lebanon.

On another front, Lebanese legal expert Dr. Tarek Chindeb indicated that the recent clashes fall within the Syrian areas from which Hezbollah has been expelled, which some tribes took control of for a period and by force of reality, noting that the Syrian government and its security forces have reclaimed the area which previously served as a hub for drug manufacturing and trafficking.

In his comments to Enab Baladi, he considered that the borders between the two countries are clear and that no one has raised this issue, but these are justifications from certain parties, clarifying that border demarcation can occur through bilateral agreements or intervention by the United Nations, suggesting that there may be an agreement between the two sides to finalize this matter.

Security Council Resolution 1680

Strongly encourages the Syrian government to respond positively to the request made by the Lebanese government in line with the agreements reached in the Lebanese national dialogue to define their mutual borders, particularly in areas where the borders are unclear or disputed, and to establish diplomatic relations and full representation.

It is noted that these measures could constitute a significant step toward affirming Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and improving relations between the two countries, thereby contributing positively to regional stability, urging both parties to make further efforts through continued bilateral dialogue to achieve this goal, while noting that the establishment of diplomatic relations between states and the creation of permanent diplomatic missions occurs by mutual agreement.

Issued by the Security Council on May 17, 2006.

Lebanese legal expert Tarek Chindeb stated that Resolution 1680 discusses disarmament as it is based on Resolution 1559, noting that UN resolutions relate to preceding resolutions, and it fundamentally relates to improving relations between Lebanon and Syria and the subject of sovereignty.

He added that the issue of sovereignty relates to the delineation of borders, which was previously raised and was linked at the time to the Shebaa Farms, which the former Syrian regime considered part of Syrian territory, and was not related to the Bekaa region.

Then, according to Chindeb, this was a type of “provocation” between the Syrian regime and Israel.

He emphasized that Resolution 1680 mentioned the prohibition of arms supplies to militias in Lebanon by the Syrian state, indicating that the resolution fundamentally resolves the issue, noting the presence of Hezbollah elements in that region.

Discussions to secure the borders

The new Syrian administration, since taking power after the fall of the previous regime, has communicated with its Lebanese counterpart and discussed border matters on several occasions.

During the first contact between the two sides, the transitional Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, spoke with former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati about the necessity of securing the border between Lebanon and Syria.

This followed a phone call after tensions emerged on the border between Syria and Lebanon in early January, due to exchanges of fire on both the Syrian and Lebanese sides in the Serghaya area and the town of Ma’raboun in Lebanon.

Additionally, al-Sharaa discussed border security with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun during their meeting at the Emergency Arab Summit, which was held on March 5.

Since the beginning of its control over the reins of power in Syria, the new Syrian administration has been trying to secure its border with Lebanon in an effort to end the drug smuggling issue that had been prevalent during the regime of ousted president Bashar al-Assad.