24.01.12 Menas Borders Deadly clash on Lebanon-Syria maritime border

A deadly clash on the maritime border between Lebanon and Syria has raised new tensions between the neighbours.

According to local officials, the incident on 22nd January occurred when gunmen in a boat on the Syrian side of the border opened fire on a Lebanese fishing vessel. A 14-year old boy on board the Lebanese boat was killed and the other two men on board were seized and taken to Syria, where they are currently being questioned by the Syrian intelligence services. In response to the incident, Lebanese demonstrators closed a border crossing.

Lebanese officials insist that the incident took place in their waters. The Syrian government, however, said that the fishermen were smugglers who were intercepted by Syria's navy.

The violence underlines the porous situation in the border region, which has become a serious security issue since the start of the uprising against Syria's President Bashar Assad. The Syrian military has sought to clamp down on weapons being smuggled from Lebanon, by mining the border and occasionally straying across it in pursuit of smugglers.

Lebanese politicians have reacted angrily to the latest incident, echoing public outrage. At the funeral of the dead teenager, local citizens chanted anti-Syrian slogans and called for the deployment of the Lebanese Army on the border. Local MPs have taken up the call, saying that the army has become nothing more than “traffic police” for failing to protect the border.

Although anger appears to be localised and is likely to subside, it illustrates the extent to which Syria's problems are spilling over into neighbouring states. The porous nature of the border with Lebanon, and uncertainty about the precise location of the boundary, has created scope for further instability.

Sources: Daily Star, AFP