Syria Boosts Military Presence Along Northern Border, Digs Wells
Syria has boosted its military presence along the northern border with Lebanon, although Damascus stressed that the move is linked to a crackdown against smugglers.
"Nearly 10,000 Syrian special forces have been deployed in the Abboudieh region along the border between Lebanon and Syria," a Lebanese army spokesman said.
"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 have assured the Lebanese army that the build-up is aimed at cracking down on smuggling and other crime along the border.
The strengthened deployment is visible from the Lebanese side of the border.
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Tuesday said the Syrian deployment was "nothing but a cover-up" for digging wells along the border.
It said Syrian trucks have carried out a similar operation a few weeks ago on the Lebanese part of the village of Wadi al-Ashaer in Rashaya province.
Al Mustaqbal said the digging only stopped following the personal intervention of President Michel Suleiman.
Meanwhile, the daily Asharq al-Awsat quoted political sources as expressing fear that the Syrian move was likely a cover-up provided by Turkey or even France for any action to be taken against "extremists" in north Lebanon.
The sources, however, ruled out any U.S. cover-up for this measure.
Traffic is continuing to pass through the main border point, although the Syrian army is cracking down on illegal crossings, making it more difficult to go through, travellers told AFP.
Al-Mustaqbal newspaper said the troops began deploying along the northern border at the weekend.
News of the build-up raised fears in Lebanon after statements made by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in early September expressing his "concern" at the recent interfaith violence in the northern city of Tripoli.
Assad said he had asked his Lebanese counterpart Michel Sleiman to "urgently send more troops to the north."
The anti-Syrian parliamentary group said this was "interference" in internal Lebanese affairs and could serve as a "pretext" for a return of Syrian troops to its tiny neighbor.
Following the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005, Damascus was forced to withdraw its forces from Lebanon after three decades of military and political domination.
It nevertheless continues to wield influence through its allies in Beirut.