Syria restricts entry of Lebanese via joint border, sources say

Syria’s new administration has imposed restrictions on Lebanese crossing their shared border into Syria, a Lebanese security official and a Syrian official says.

The restrictions, which come as Lebanon is seeking better ties with its neighbor under the new rulers, mean Lebanese who do not have a residency or family inside Syria will not be able to cross, the Lebanese security official said. However, he noted that exceptions were being made for those with other types of business inside Syria.

The Lebanese official describes the measures as “temporary” and says they are the result of a dispute between the two sides over the apparent mistreatment by Lebanese authorities of Syrians entering or leaving Lebanon.

Lebanon’s interior minister, who oversees border crossings, could not be reached for comment.

The Lebanese army separately says that five soldiers were wounded in clashes that broke out between soldiers and unidentified Syrians as the army tried to shut down an illegal border crossing near Baalbeck in the Lebanon’s northeast.

There are thought to be dozens of informal crossings along the porous, rugged 370-km (230-mile) border between the two countries.

Lebanon has said it is looking forward to having the best neighborly relations with Syria after rebels forced Bashar al-Assad from power on Dec. 8, opening a new chapter after ties that have often been fraught since the two countries became independent states in the 1940s.