The Syrian Ministry of Defense said the current deployment of Syrian army units along the country’s borders with neighboring states, including Lebanon, does not constitute a military escalation but rather a purely defensive and organizational measure that does not target any country or party.
The ministry explained that the deployment falls within the Syrian state’s responsibility to protect its borders and ensure national security in accordance with international laws and norms. It described the move as an organizational step aimed at tightening border control and strengthening stability under current conditions, according to the Ministry of Defense’s Media and Communication Department in remarks carried by the Syrian state news agency (SANA) on Friday, March 6.
The clarification came after several Arab media outlets circulated a report claiming that the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation alleged that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa intends to strike Hezbollah positions along the Syrian-Lebanese border in the Bekaa Valley following ongoing exchanges of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel.
Enab Baladi attempted to verify the circulating report through the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, but found no information supporting the claim.
Attacks between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon began on Monday morning, March 2, after Hezbollah shelled an area south of the city of Haifa in northern Israel.
Hezbollah said it targeted the Mishmar HaCarmel site south of Haifa with a barrage of rockets and drones, describing the operation as “revenge for the blood of Imam Khamenei and a defense of Lebanon and its people.”
Israel subsequently launched airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, and called for the evacuation of the southern suburbs and southern Lebanese regions to north of the Litani River.
Increasing security and reducing crime
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said the current deployment of Syrian Arab Army units along the borders contributes to several key security outcomes. These include stabilizing border areas, curbing smuggling and organized crime, increasing safety levels for local residents, and supporting regional stability by tightening border control.
The ministry added that the measures will have a positive impact on local communities in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq by reducing illegal activities that affect economic and social security.
According to the ministry’s Media Department, border security represents one of the fundamental pillars for achieving both internal and regional stability. Through the positioning of Syrian army and border guard units along the frontier strip, the Syrian state seeks to establish a more effective system for border control and combating smuggling and organized crime while ensuring national sovereignty and regional stability.
Growing illegal networks
Border areas between Syria and Lebanon, which stretch about 375 kilometers, and the Syrian-Iraqi border, which extends nearly 600 kilometers, have posed a major security challenge after the country’s “liberation,” according to the Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said the challenge has grown amid the expansion of illegal networks during the era of the former regime, which exploited border regions for various smuggling activities that undermine the security of neighboring countries.
Among the main security challenges along the borders are the smuggling of weapons and ammunition, narcotics and psychotropic substances, fuel and subsidized goods, and the activities of organized crime networks that use irregular routes established during the previous regime’s rule.
The ministry noted that estimates and reports indicate thousands of smuggling attempts were recorded annually along Syria’s borders with neighboring states. Drug smuggling operations, particularly involving narcotic pills, also increased and were often transported through border routes toward countries in the region with the support of the former regime.
Some border areas were also used as corridors for smuggling weapons and ammunition, which strengthened the influence of organized crime networks and negatively affected security and stability in border regions and neighboring countries.
The ministry said the Syrian state is working to reorganize the border security system through specialized military units tasked with monitoring the border strip, conducting reconnaissance and field surveillance, and closing many illegal crossing routes.
These units also support security coordination aimed at reducing smuggling activities and help protect villages and towns located along the border from being exploited by smuggling networks or outlaw groups.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, dozens of attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons across Syria’s borders with neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, were foiled last year.
The ministry also reported security cooperation with Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey that led to the arrest of several smuggling network cells.
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