Syrian troops deploy on the northern side of the Syrian-Lebanese border. The Lebanese army has said Syria has boosted troop numbers along the border but that Damascus has stressed the move is linked to a crackdown against smugglers. (AFP/null)Fears Grow In Lebanon As 10,000 Syrian Troops Arrive
On The Border -- Times Online
On The Border -- Times Online
Syria has massed thousands of troops along its border with northern Lebanon in what officials in Beirut fear is a prelude to the first incursion since Syrian forces pulled out three years ago.
Although Damascus insists that its forces are conducting an antismuggling operation, the Lebanese Government is eyeing the moves with unease, believing that the unusual scale of the deployment has more to do with tensions between the two countries over recent sectarian clashes in northern Lebanon.
“People around here are worried. We don’t know why the Syrians have arrived like this,” said Ali, 18, a farmer in the tiny hillside hamlet of Hekr Janin overlooking the border.
Much of Lebanon’s northern border with Syria follows the Kabir, or Great river, which despite its name, is little more than a trickle after the hot summer months. Lined by trees and bamboo thickets, the river meanders through a narrow floodplain of meadows and crop fields flanked by steep hills of black basalt.
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My Comment: The Syrians are back .....