Syria closes border crossing with Lebanon

The Syrian Land and Sea Ports Authority announced the closure of its border crossing with Lebanon after receiving warnings that Israel could target the area.

Authorities, however, said arrivals are still being allowed for Syrians fleeing Lebanon, according to a media official at the Jdeidet Yabous crossing, Reuters reports.

Earlier, Syria reinforced its borders with both Lebanon and Iraq to prevent the ongoing Middle East conflict from spreading onto its territory. The Syrian army said it has increased deployments along the borders to “protect and secure” them.

The move follows Israeli military strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, which began on March 2 after the Iran-backed militant group launched a swarm of drones toward an Israeli military base in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks that killed Iran’s supreme leader.

By Sabina Mammadli