Lebanese army denies violating Syria’s airspace to track military activity

By Stephanie Rady and Betul Yilmaz

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL (AA) – The Lebanese army denied violating Syrian airspace on Sunday after media reports suggested that its aircraft tracked Syria's military activity beyond borders.

A military statement called reports that Lebanese air forces violated Syria’s airspace to monitor military movements from the Syrian side were untrue.

Local media reports alleged that armed Syrian gangs planned to enter Lebanon to take security personnel hostage to exchange with Syrian inmates in Roumieh Prison.

The Lebanese army stressed that its forces continue to monitor the situation at the border and are taking necessary measures for their protection.

The military said that it continues its communication and coordination with the Syrian authorities to follow up on any developments.

There was no immediate comment from Syria on the army statement.

On Thursday, Osama Al-Jaour, a Syrian prisoner from the Homs countryside, died of a heart attack in Roumieh Prison. Jaour was sentenced to life by Lebanese authorities in 2013 on the charge of membership in a terrorist organization.

Roumieh Prison, located east of the capital, Beirut, is Lebanon's largest prison, housing around 4,000 inmates, three times more than its intended capacity, according to local media reports.

The facility holds around 2,000 Syrians who have been detained for years without trial over supporting the 2011–2024 Syrian revolution or providing logistical or humanitarian aid to opposition factions that fought the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa previously expressed “serious concern” over Beirut’s delays in addressing the issue during a meeting in July with a Lebanese delegation led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, according to Syrian media.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by Sharaa was formed in January.