After a calm night, residents of the Lebanese border town of Jarmash woke up on Saturday to the sounds of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells fired from the Syrian side. A barrage of 50 shells rained down on several towns in Jurud al-Hermel during the early morning hours, escalating tensions along the border.
The Lebanese Red Cross has so far transported eight wounded civilians to hospitals in Hermel following the indiscriminate shelling that targeted the towns of al-Qasr, Sahlat al-Maa, Qald al-Sabaa and al-Zakba. One seriously injured individual was rushed to al-Batoul Hospital for emergency treatment.
Meanwhile, the town of Kanafez, located on the northern edge of the Hermel caza, came under heavy artillery fire from the Syrian countryside of al-Qusayr. In response, local tribes and families armed themselves with light and medium weapons and managed to shoot down three drones flying over the northern border villages of Hermel. Additionally, they reportedly destroyed a tank in the town of Jarmash.
Following the downing of the drone, militants from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) resumed shelling the outskirts of Hermel, heightening concerns of further escalation.
Calls for Reinforcements
Amid the intensifying attacks, local activists urged the Lebanese government to deploy reinforcements from the Lebanese Army (LAF) to secure the border and protect civilians from future assaults.
Lebanese-Syrian Coordination
In response to the deteriorating security situation, Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun held a call with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to discuss joint security coordination aimed at restoring stability and preventing further civilian casualties.
According to the Lebanese daily Nidaa al-Watan, the call was described as positive, with both sides agreeing on full cooperation between Lebanese and Syrian authorities to control the situation. Officials assured that only state institutions would oversee border security, and that efforts were underway to de-escalate tensions.
It is worth noting that the recent clashes at the Lebanese-Syrian border between HTS militants and local tribes were triggered by a combination of cross-border tensions, territorial disputes and retaliatory actions.
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