The Ministry of Defense of Syria’s transitional government has announced that it “will take all necessary measures” against the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah following recent events at the border. The statement was released by the SANA news agency.
“We will take all necessary measures in response to the extremely dangerous escalation caused by Hezbollah formations, which on Sunday ambushed and kidnapped three Syrian soldiers in the Zeita Dam area. The soldiers were then taken to Lebanese territory and executed,” the Syrian Ministry of Defense stated.
Meanwhile, the newspaper Al Watan, citing military sources, reported that the Syrian army used “heavy artillery” to shell Hezbollah positions in northern Lebanon.
On March 16, the Lebanese newspaper Al Nahar reported that Lebanese army personnel stationed along the northern and eastern sections of the border with Syria had been placed on high alert following artillery shelling from Syrian territory on the village of Al-Qasr. Earlier, a firefight occurred in this border area between Syrian special forces and militias from local tribes affiliated with Hezbollah, resulting in the deaths of three elite Syrian soldiers. According to Al Nahar, a Syrian patrol mistakenly crossed into Lebanese territory, where it was attacked.
The Lebanese Red Cross has already handed over the bodies of the three fallen soldiers to the Syrian side through the Jusiyah checkpoint.
Hezbollah’s press service has denied any involvement of its forces in the incident.
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Based on TASS materials