Army clashes with gunmen on Syria border as Lebanese barred from entering Syria

Armed clashes erupted on Syria's border between the Lebanese Army and a group of gunmen following an attempt to reopen an illegal border crossing.

"Clashes have stopped in the Maaraboun area between the Lebanese Army and Syrian gunmen after several armed men were wounded. The gunmen retreated as the illegal border crossing remained closed," al-Jadeed TV reported on Friday afternoon.

The army had sent reinforcements to the area after the injury of one of its officers.

In a statement, the army said that “as an army unit was working on closing an illegal border crossing on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Baalbek area of Maaraboun, Syrian individuals tried to reopen the crossing with a bulldozer, prompting army troops to fire warning shots in the air.”

“The Syrians then opened fire at the army soldiers, wounding one of them and triggering a clash between the two sides,” the army added, noting that “strict military measures have been taken by the army units deployed in the sector.”

Syria meanwhile imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens following the clashes, a military official and two security sources from Lebanon told AFP.

A General Security official told AFP they were "surprised to see the border had been closed" to Lebanese citizens "from the Syrian side," with another security source saying "it seems they (Syria) have new procedures" allowing in only Lebanese with residency permits or official permission.

The military official said the move followed "skirmishes between the Lebanese Army and Syrian fighters at the border."

A Syrian source, however, told MTV that "the border clash that broke out at night was between the Lebanese Army and smugglers who are known in the area and what happened has nothing to do with the closure of the border."

"Syrian authorities have asked the Lebanese interior minister to communicate with his Syrian counterpart to resolve the issue of barring the Lebanese from entering Syria," security sources told MTV.

MTV had earlier reported that the “sudden” decision to restrict the entry of Lebanese was taken overnight and that “the Lebanese side was not notified of the matter, which caused major confusion.”

“Efforts are underway today to address this issue,” MTV said.

The developments appeared to be the first instance of diplomatic friction between the two neighbors -- who share a fraught history -- since Islamist-led rebels topped longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month.

Lebanese nationals had previously been allowed into Syria without a visa, using just their passport or ID.