Neighboring countries close border crossings with Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Most border crossings between Syrian government-controlled areas and neighboring countries were closed on Friday following precautionary measures by Jordan and Lebanon, driven by the growing influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA).
In eastern Syria, the al-Qaim border crossing fell out of government control as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced into Abu Kamal, a strategic town near the Syrian-Iraqi border.
Simultaneously, local armed factions in southern Syria seized the Nasib border crossing with Jordan. In response, Jordanian authorities announced the complete closure of the crossing to all traffic departing for Syria.
Lebanon also imposed restrictions, with the General Security agency closing northern land crossings with Syria while keeping the al-Masnaa border crossing in eastern Lebanon operational under limited exceptions.
A statement from Lebanese General Security cited “repeated Israeli attacks” on both legal and illegal border crossings as the reason for the closures.
On Friday, the Israeli forces conducted airstrikes on two border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, saying they were used for transporting weapons and “terrorist” infrastructure.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that the al-Arida crossing was rendered inoperable following the strikes, further complicating cross-border movement.