Aoun, al-Sharaa agree on border security, civilian safety
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The discussion follows an incident near the Lebanese-Syrian border, where militants from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham opened fire, killing four members of Lebanese clans confronting the offensive.
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Members of the new security forces stand guard at a checkpoint located near the border with Lebanon, in the town of Serghaya, Syria, on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa held a phone call to coordinate security efforts along their shared border and prevent attacks on civilians.
The discussion follows an incident near the Lebanese-Syrian border, where militants from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham opened fire, killing four members of Lebanese clans, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.
This came shortly after clashes broke out, on Thursday, between Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham militants and the residents of the border village of Qusayr, with several captured from both sides.
The residents of Qusayr managed to repel the militants and captured two of them.
Meanwhile, HTS detained 14 people from Hawik, including women and children, our correspondent added.
Shortly after, the correspondent reported that an agreement had been reached for an exchange between the residents in the border town and HTS.
The exchange process began at 10 pm local time, and our correspondent reported, "With the start of the exchange process at the Josiah al-Qaa border crossing, women and children will be released in the town of al-Aqrabiyah."
The exchange took place under the auspices of the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Red Cross.
An hour later, our correspondent reported the completion of the exchange following the cessation of clashes, detailing that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham handed over two captives and released 16 women and children in the town of al-Aqrabiyah in exchange for two wounded militants and the body of one.
Attacks on Lebanese Army
Back in December, a Lebanese military patrol was ambushed by a gang of militants from Syrian territory, leaving one soldier injured.
According to the statement, "During the [Lebanese army's] patrol in the Wadi Aswad area near the town of Yanta-Rashaya on the Syrian-Lebanese border, a group of unknown militants opened fire on the patrol from Syrian territory. One serviceman was injured in the clash. He was taken to hospital."
According to the Lebanese Army, more personnel were dispatched to the scene of the event, and security measures were implemented.
This is not the first occasion that Lebanese border guards have been targeted near the Syrian border since the former Syrian president was ousted.
Early in December, a group of militants attempted to penetrate the territory of a Lebanese army bastion in the Rashaya area but were discovered and fled deep into Syrian territory after receiving warning fire from Lebanese forces.
