Ahead of Ceasefire, Israel Strikes Syria-Lebanon Border Crossings

Hours before a ceasefire went into effect in the early hours of Tuesday , Israel for the first time carried out airstrikes targeting Lebanon’s three northern border crossings with Syria, according to Reuters, which cited Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh.

Syrian state media reported six killed and 12 wounded in the attacks, in addition to “significant material damage.”

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Wednesday that it struck Hezbollah smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon.

“Prior to the ceasefire, the IAF also conducted intelligence-based strikes on several smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon, which were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weaponry. These strikes were conducted to prevent Hezbollah’s ability to re-arm,” the military said.

“At 00:05 a.m., the Israeli enemy launched an aerial act of aggression from the direction of Lebanese territory, targeting the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon in Homs western countryside,” according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing a Syrian military source.

The strikes also targeted the Arida and Dabousiya border crossings in the Homs and Tartous regions, according to SANA.

Separately, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that it had targeted a weapons storage facility belonging to an Iranian-aligned militia in Syria, in retaliation for an attack on U.S. forces by the militia on Monday.

On Sunday morning, the IDF confirmed that it had conducted airstrikes in Syria overnight near a border crossing with Lebanon used by the Hezbollah terrorist group to smuggle weapons.

Israeli warplanes struck terrorist infrastructure adjacent to the Jousieh border crossing in Lebanon’s northern Bekaa area, which is under the control of the Syrian regime and operated by Syrian security forces, according to the IDF.

Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 is responsible for the terrorist group’s weapons smuggling into Lebanon from Iran via Syria, according to the Israeli military.

The Israeli Air Force struck the same crossing last month, and has conducted several other attacks on the Syrian-Lebanese border in recent months in an attempt to prevent Hezbollah from rearming.

“The IDF will continue to operate to thwart Hezbollah’s weapons smuggling operations and urges the Syrian and Lebanese authorities to prevent Hezbollah’s exploitation of civilian border crossings,” the IDF said on Sunday.

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