Shelling from Syria hits Lebanese border towns injures 10
3 Min Read
Shelling from Syria’s Qusayr countryside hit Lebanese border towns in Hermel, injuring over 10 people, as tensions escalated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
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People crossing into Syria through the Masnaa border crossing point in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, on December 8, 2024 (AP)
More than ten people were injured after shelling from Syria’s Qusayr countryside targeted border towns in Lebanon’s Hermel region, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported on Saturday.
According to the report, nearly 50 shells struck various towns in Hermel’s outskirts since the morning, with one rocket landing near a Lebanese Army post in Wadi Fisan. The source of the fire was identified as Syria’s Qusayr region.
In response, tribes from the Bekaa Valley destroyed a tank in the Syrian border town of Jarmash, as reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency. Activists also circulated footage showing the tribes downing a drone belonging to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) over Hermel’s outskirts.
A day earlier, HTS militants launched an explosive-laden drone that detonated over Jarmash, while two rockets—also attributed to HTS—landed near the Lebanese town of al-Kawakh and its surrounding heights.
Amid rising tensions, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syria’s transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa agreed in a phone call on Friday to coordinate efforts to stabilize the border and prevent attacks on civilians.
The discussion followed 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.
Serious confrontations
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, our 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.
