Assad to Ghosn: Coordination between Two Armies Foiled Arms Smuggling Bids

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday held talks with Lebanon’s Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn concerning “cooperation and coordination between the Syrian and Lebanese armies,” Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported.

“Assad expressed appreciation of the Lebanese army's great efforts in coordination with the Syrian counterpart to monitor the borders between the two countries, which helped foil several weapons smuggling attempts targeting the two countries' stability and security,” SANA said.

Syrian Defense Minister Daoud Rajha also attended the meeting.

On Saturday the Lebanese army thwarted an attempt to smuggle tasers and individual communication devices to Syria through an illegal border crossing at Deir al-Ashaer in the Rashayya region, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported.

The army stopped a pickup truck loaded with equipment as it was attempting to enter Syria, NNA said.

It confiscated the equipment and investigations are underway into the case, the agency added.