Lebanon, Syria agree to ceasefire after 2 days of border clashes

Lebanon and Syria reached a ceasefire agreement late yesterday to halt two days of clashes along the border. According to the Syrian Ministry of Defence, the agreement includes provisions for enhanced coordination and cooperation between the two sides.

Earlier yesterday, Lebanon’s President ordered troops to retaliate against the source of gunfire from the Syrian side of the border after deadly fighting erupted overnight along the frontier. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that seven Lebanese citizens were



killed and 52 others were injured in the clashes, including a 4-year-old girl.

The fighting broke out after Syria’s interim government accused militants from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group of crossing into Syria on Saturday, abducting three soldiers, and killing them on Lebanese soil. Hezbollah denied any involvement.

This was the most serious cross-border fighting since the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.