Region | Lebanon
Syria seeks to allay Lebanese concerns over troop build-up
The Lebanese army on Monday raised concern about the increased Syrian troop presence along the border even as Damascus insisted the move is aimed at smugglers.
- By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor
- Published: 20:49 September 22, 2008
Dubai: The Lebanese army on Monday raised concern about the increased Syrian troop presence along the border even as Damascus insisted the move is aimed at smugglers.
"The recent deployment of troops is not directly linked to the situation in the north but will help Lebanese authorities to focus on the security inside Lebanon," Syrian political analyst and former undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Ahmad Haj Ali, told Gulf News.
"We have to be vigilant about Israeli movements and the fact that they might use the Lebanese borders to attack Syria," said Ali.
"Nearly 10,000 Syrian special forces have been deployed in the Abbudiya region along the border between Lebanon and Syria," said Lebanese army spokesman.
"We asked Damascus for clarification and we were told that the measures were strictly internal and on Syrian territory, and that they were in no way directed against Lebanon," he added.
The spokesman said the Syrian authorities had assured the Lebanese army that the build-up is in connection with a crackdown on smuggling and other crime along the border. The reinforced troop presence is visible from the Lebanese side of the border.
Traffic is continuing to pass through the main border point, although the Syrian army is cracking down on illegal crossings, travellers said.
The Lebanese newspaper Al Mustaqbal, which is close to the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, reported that the Syrian deployment had started along the northern border at the weekend.
The build-up raised fears in Lebanon in view of statements made by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad earlier this month expressing his "concern" at the sectarian violence in the northern city of Tripoli. Al Assad said he had asked his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sulaiman to "urgently send more troops to the north".
With inputs from agencies
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