With the recent spotlight on Lebanon’s southern and eastern borders, the Lebanese army tightened its grip on dozens of kilometers of the eastern border with Syria, amid continuing internal debate over the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
This comes after years of lack of security control, as the area witnessed infiltration of extremist militants and active smuggling operations.
The army was able to carry out its mission with the support of Britain, which helped train thousands of soldiers and officers. A total of 39 observation towers were installed and dozens of advanced military centers were built.
The entire borderline, extending from Al-Masnaa checkpoint to the outskirts of Al-Qaa in the far north-east of Lebanon, is now under permanent control.
While most of the eastern border fell under the grip of the army, the area located in the south of Al-Masnaa crossing in the western Bekaa area, remained uncontrolled, according to field sources. The area is described as the “active smuggling line”, and is used to smuggle people and tobacco from Syria.
Lebanese security and military forces are deploying efforts to close the border permanently.
Since 2012, Britain has been providing a program to “train, equip and direct” the four Lebanese land border regiments and to provide operational training in populated areas at the Hamat and Riyak air bases, British diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Indeed, this aid proved successful in empowering the army. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Britain’s support for the Lebanese Armed Forces had finally placed the border under the authority of the state for the first time.
In addition to the watchtowers, Britain launched a program to form and strengthen land border regiments. The ground forces of the Lebanese army began operating in 2013, with the task of monitoring, deterring and thwarting any possible attacks on the Lebanese border.
Britain described these groups as the eyes and ears of the Lebanese state and the first defender of 75 percent of the Lebanese-Syrian border. Therefore, Britain funded the establishment of these groups with more than $50 million.
Diplomatic sources in Beirut have indicated that Britain has helped train some 11,000 troops on military operations in populated areas and about 7,000 in border operations, and has spent more than £60 million on “training and equipping” the LAF ground border battalion, including building 39 control tower and 37 bases of advanced operations along the border.
The sources stressed that as of 2019, Lebanon will have full authority on its border with Syria.
“The Lebanese Armed Forces have improved their capabilities over the past 10 years and became a professional army that has shown that it is capable of protecting Lebanon from terrorism both on the border and inside the country,” the British diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Britain also contributes to the Lebanese Mine Action Center (LMAC), which was renewed and equipped last fall, in cooperation with the Lebanese Army, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Mine Advisory Group, funded with more than £2 million to support the efforts to clean several kilometers of cluster munitions in the south, Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Britain has provided £194,000 as a contribution to the project, which is funded by the UNDP and the Mine Action Advisory Group, as part of a program to help Lebanon coordinate a better response to polluted land and mine risk education for the region’s population.
