BEIRUT, May 12 (NNN-NNA) – A Syrian smuggler was killed, and another was injured yesterday, in a clash with the Lebanese army, on the borderline separating Lebanon and Syria, Lebanese military sources said.
The sources, who spoke anonymously, said, the Lebanese army’s Land Borders Regiments exchanged gunfire with a group of four smugglers, who were spotted trying to smuggle goods from the Lebanese side into Syria, through an illegal land crossing in Deir El Aachayer, on the east of Mount Hermon Heights, east of Lebanon.
The wounded man was transferred to Rashaya Government Hospital, while the other two escaped, the source said.
The border separating Lebanon and Syria has witnessed smuggling and infiltration activities through illegal crossings, despite persistent attempts by Lebanese authorities, to control and combat smuggling.
Smuggling occurs in both directions, but smuggling from Lebanon to Syria has become more common, with deteriorating economic conditions in the two countries, and the sanctions imposed on Syria. This includes smuggling basic goods subsidised by the Lebanese state, such as flour, fuel and medicine.– NNN-NNA
