Syrian militants ransack, set fire to homes in eastern Lebanese town
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The former editor-in-chief of the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, Waddah Abd Rabbo, said the authorities in Damascus had seized his home in the capital.
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Syrian troops maneuver in the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, located 2 km (1.24 miles) from the Lebanon border, Syria, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP)
The Lebanese Army has deployed across the entire occupied section of the eastern town of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in the Bekaa region, restoring Lebanese sovereignty over the area, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Wednesday.
Earlier, our correspondent said that the military began entering the occupied part of the town after armed groups from the Syrian side deliberately set fire to citizens' homes in the Lebanese section, amid ongoing escalation and repeated attacks.
Armed groups from Syria looted the citizens' homes in Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali before proceeding to set them on fire, Al Mayadeen's correspondent said.
The eastern Lebanese town, which has both Lebanese and Syrian sections, is home to Lebanese families, and the land has been owned by Lebanese individuals for over 300 years. The town has a population of approximately 3,000 people.
Our correspondent noted the arrival of a convoy from the Lebanese Army, consisting of 60 vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and four-wheel-drive cars, to the outskirts of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, along with significant military reinforcements that have been stationed in the area since Tuesday.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent also confirmed that the Lebanese Army and the Red Cross had received the bodies of two young men from the Medlej family at the General Security checkpoint in the Jousi-Qaa' border area.
The two Lebanese nationals were abducted, transported across the border into Syria, and executed by their captors.
Amid the transfer of the bodies, a cautious calm has prevailed along the Lebanese-Syrian border, despite sporadic gunfire, following a ceasefire brokered between the defense ministers of both countries.
Several violations were recorded by militants, who opened fire on multiple border areas.
The Lebanese Army responded proportionally, striking the sources of fire with calculated precision to mitigate further escalation.
Syrian forces are expected to complete their withdrawal from the Lebanese side of the Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali town by Wednesday noon.
According to a statement released by the Lebanese Defense Ministry, National Defense Minister Major General Michel Menassa called his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, to discuss developments on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
The statement detailed how an agreement was reached between both sides with "continued communication between the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate and Syrian Intelligence to prevent the deterioration of the situation on the border between the two countries and avoid the loss of innocent civilian lives."
According to the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministries, the latest clashes left three Syrian militants and seven Lebanese killed. Additionally, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 52 people were injured on the Lebanese side.
Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali being looted by militants
On Tuesday, Lebanese Member of Parliament, Ihab Hamadeh, told Al Mayadeen that "there were no clashes on the border between Lebanon and Syria; rather, there was targeting of Lebanese land."
He added that the Lebanese Army is confronting "the occupiers in every sense of the word, and it is the one leading the battle."
Hamadeh hoped that "it won't be long before the army enters the town of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, as it is currently being looted by the occupying militants."
"There is an occupation of Lebanese territory, and we are raising our voice on this matter to the President of the Republic, knowing that the army is confronting the occupiers," he said.
The Lebanese lawmaker also noted that the army is deployed across the entire border and has reinforced its presence along the border line between Lebanon and Syria.
Editor-in-chief of Syrian newspaper says authorities seized his Damascus home
In a separate context, the former editor-in-chief of the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, Waddah Abd Rabbo, said the authorities in Damascus had seized his home in the capital.
In a post on Facebook, Abd Rabbo accused armed men affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad's regime, of looting and vandalizing everything inside the house.
"This behavior is not surprising from them, especially since they have seized thousands of residential apartments across all Syrian governorates," he added.
It is worth mentioning that dozens of Syrians have complained about armed groups seizing their homes without a judicial order or legal justification for such actions.
These measures have also affected private media institutions, most notably Sham FM radio, which had its broadcast suspended by the new Syrian Ministry of Information before armed men expelled its staff and seized its assets.
It should be noted that the Syrian constitutional declaration affirms the sanctity and protection of private property, stating in Articles 16 and 19 that "no authority has the right to seize the property of any Syrian citizen, and personal property is sacred and cannot be violated without a judicial order justifying such an action."
