The Lebanese army on Sunday arrested a Syrian rebel commander who was trying to enter Lebanon using fake documents, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“The army arrested a commander of the (rebel) Free Syrian Army from the Qalamun area” near Lebanon, the source said.
“He was trying to enter Lebanon using a fake Lebanese ID. The vehicle he was travelling in was stopped at a checkpoint in the Wadi Hmeid area” near the Syrian border, he added.
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a military spokesman confirmed the arrest.
The official National News Agency identified the Syrian as Colonel Abdullah al-Rifai and said he is a top leader of the rebel military council in Qalamun, Syria.
Rebels in the Qalamun region have battled both the Syrian army and Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters into Syria to back President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
In August, jihadists streamed across the border from Syria and fought fierce battles with the Lebanese army in the frontier town of Arsal.
They are still holding 27 Lebanese police and soldiers they took hostage during the clashes, having executed three of them.
The August fighting erupted after the Lebanese army arrested and jailed a jihadist-linked Syrian fighter.
Lebanon is sharply divided over the war in neighboring Syria, and has regularly seen deadly battles linked to the conflict next door.
Most Sunnis support the revolt seeking Assad’s ouster, while most Shiites back Damascus and its ally Hezbollah.

Lebanon army arrests Syria rebel commander

Free Syrian Army fighters launch mortar shells towards forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in the Handarat area, north of Aleppo. (File photo: Reuters)
AFP, Baalbek
Monday 10 November 2014
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:45 - GMT 06:45
DAY | WEEK |
-
8177 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
7923 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
-
4383 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
1886 Views Iran executes second wrestler months after executing champion wrestler Navid Afkari
-
1872 Views Saudi Arabia in talks to provide COVID-19 vaccines to low income countries: Minister
-
1855 Views Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia to get AstraZeneca shots in about a week from India
-
23712 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19193 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
10999 Views Coronavirus: Dubai orders hospitals to cancel surgeries amid surge in COVID-19 cases
-
9665 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
8309 Views Coronavirus: Dubai suspends live entertainment permits as COVID-19 cases surge
-
8233 Views Coronavirus: Dubai's latest COVID-19 rules for weddings, restaurants, gyms, concerts
SHOW MORE