Syria Kills 11 Rebels in Lebanon Border Ambush, Closes Crossings

Fighting With Rebels Spans Border

The ouster of rebels from their last stronghold along the Lebanon border, Yabroud, has not ended the fighting the region, as Syrian military forces continue to battle rebel factions that are in the process of withdrawing, and chased many to an area along the border itself.

Syrian military shelling even spanned the border, hitting the village of Wadi Khaled, where many rebels and refugees had fled, and wounding at least 25 according to reports.

Syrian state media reported 11 rebels killed in an ambush, and the military has closed the border crossings into Lebanon, likely an attempt to keep rebels from escaping disguised as refugees and keep rebels inside Lebanon from sneaking back in.

Border crossings have been an ongoing problem in the civil war for the Syrian government, as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey have all been used by the rebels as weapons smuggling routes, routes for new fighters to enter, and even at times as bases of operations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.