Will Lebanon secure its Syria border? Renewed talks on international forces and disarmament

Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

The first proposal to deploy international forces on the border between Lebanon and Syria came after the July 2006 War.

At that time, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 was approved, which called for strengthening UNIFIL forces in the south and included calls to control the Lebanese border to prevent the smuggling of weapons without mandating the deployment of international forces along the border with Syria.

At that time, both France and the United States attempted to push for the deployment of international forces along this border.

Despite the efforts, the proposal was strongly opposed by the Assad regime and rejected inside Lebanon, particularly by Hezbollah. 

This was despite a request in 2007 from the Lebanese government, led by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, for U.N. assistance in controlling the border with Syria due to ongoing security tensions, assassinations, and bombings in Lebanon.

After the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, discussions were renewed about the possibility of deploying international forces or enhancing border monitoring to prevent the smuggling of weapons and fighters from both sides.

However, Lebanon’s internal divisions over how to approach the situation in Syria led to the collapse of the proposal. Additionally, the Assad regime again strongly rejected the deployment of international forces along the border.

Following the 2023 war in southern Lebanon, the ceasefire agreement, the fall of the Assad regime, and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to power, sporadic clashes broke out between fighters of the new regime and Lebanese tribal militants in the border areas.

The Lebanese army intervened on several occasions, coordinating with the Syrian side to manage border control. Tensions escalated recently after the events in Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali, which nearly pushed the situation to a dangerous tipping point.

Although official explanations cited clashes between smuggling gangs or disputes over land ownership, the true nature of the conflict became clearer after the Lebanese army learned from the Syrian side about lands they wished to reclaim.

Lebanon is now required to secure the border, close illegal crossings, sever Hezbollah’s weapons supply lines and dismantle any weapons already present in the border areas. This includes weapons held by Hezbollah groups, tribal members, or in arms caches, such as those recently seized by the army in Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali.

In simpler terms, Lebanon must continue the process of disarmament and enforce Resolution 1701, extending these efforts to the northeastern borders to create a demilitarized zone free of fighters.

These developments have reignited the debate over a new version of Resolution 1701, which could be agreed upon through regional and international consensus, leading to the long-standing goal of deploying international forces between Lebanon and Syria.