For the first time in decades, the militaries of Lebanon
and Syria have been moving toward the brink of confrontation.
Lebanese officials have reported border clashes between their security
forces and those of Syria over the last week. They said Syria's military has
sealed its border with Lebanon in an attempt to prevent goods and people
from leaving or entering that country.
"This is not the way the relationship between two Arab countries should
be," Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Fuad Siniora said. "We understand
there are security concerns, but there are measures that can be taken to
deal with those concerns while still facilitating the transit of goods."
The clashes have also been at sea, Middle East Newsline reported. Lebanese police have battled Syrian
smugglers in the Mediterranean. At the same time, the Syria Navy has
detained at least nine Lebanese fishermen accused of entering Syrian
territorial waters.
On July 17, Lebanese security officers engaged suspected Syrian
smugglers in a gun battle near the border village of Qaa, about 100
kilometers northeast of Beirut. Officials said Lebanese authorities
increased patrols along the Syrian border to stop smugglers.
At one point, officials said, Syrian border police opened fire toward
Lebanese forces. A Lebanese officer was wounded and the smugglers fled
across the border into Syria.
On late Monday, the eastern Lebanese city of Kosbaya, near the Syrian
border, was rocked by a huge explosion. Witnesses said a munitions warehouse
under the control of the Syrian-sponsored Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine-General Command blew up.
There were no reports of injuries. The PFLP-GC has rejected Lebanese
demands to dismantle the group's military installations.
Officials said the border tension stemmed from the Syrian military
withdrawal from Lebanon in April 2005. They said the regime of Syrian
President Bashar Assad has sought to sever the flow of goods and people to
and from Lebanon until Beirut provides Damascus with special privileges.
On Tuesday, the London-based Al Hayat daily said Syria has demanded
compensation from Lebanon for the killing of 36 of its nationals. The Assad
regime was also said to have asked for hotline that would link the
authorities in Beirut and Damascus.
The United States has encouraged Lebanon to bolster security along the
border with Syria. The Bush administration has been discussing the prospect
of increased exercises, training as well as the export of the first lethal
equipment to Lebanon's military in more than a decade.
The administration has also been encouraging the Syrian opposition to
undermine the Assad regime. The Washington-based Reform Party of Syria,
financed by the U.S. Defense Department, has scheduled its first student
rally in Damascus for July 20 in Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.
"We will not stand idly if any of these students get arrested or
imprisoned," RPS president Farid Ghadry said. "We remind the Syrian
authorities that the International Criminal Court in Brussels can reach any
person who violates the human rights of any Syrian citizen and we will not
hesitate to use the court against any security individual, including their
superiors, to protect the young people of Syria."
