Rifi Denies Confiscation of Two Cars Smuggling Weapons to Syria

Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi denied on Thursday that the security forces had confiscated two cars on the Lebanese-Syrian border that were attempting to smuggle arms to Syria, said media reports on Friday.

Reports said on Thursday that the border patrol had arrested a Lebanese and Syrian while they were trying to cross the border to Syria in cars loaded with arms in the eastern Bekaa region.

Meanwhile, a prominent ISF source denied to the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Friday that any arms were confiscated on Thursday.

LBC had reported that members of the Nasserddine family, who are part of the border patrol at the Lebanese-Syrian border, had apprehended individuals trying to smuggle five hunting rifles to Syria, three of which were handed over to Lebanese intelligence.

Hundreds of trucks have been held up at a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria amid heightened security measures enforced as the Syrian regime faces unprecedented protests.

"Between 400 and 500 trucks, most with Syrian or Jordanian license plates, have been held at the Abboudiyeh border crossing for hours for inspection by Syrian security forces," a Lebanese security source told Agence France Presse.