Fighting along the Syrian-Lebanese border intensified on Monday as deadly clashes erupted between the Syrian military and Hezbollah-aligned forces. 

The escalation follows accusations from Syria’s interim government that Hezbollah terrorists crossed into Syrian territory, kidnapped three soldiers and executed them on Lebanese soil. In response, the Syrian army launched artillery strikes on Hezbollah positions, targeting what it called “gatherings” of fighters responsible for the killings. Hezbollah has denied involvement.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that the Syrian army successfully captured the village of Hawsh al-Sayyid Ali on the Syria-Lebanon border during the confrontations. Currently, most of the fighting is near the village of Al-Qasr.

Earlier this morning, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported intermittent clashes between the Syrian army and Hezbollah forces along the border. The report also claimed that a Hezbollah ammunition depot in Lebanon was destroyed by Syrian artillery fire.

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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed the escalating violence, saying, “What is happening on the eastern and northeastern border cannot continue, and we will not accept its continuation. I have instructed the Lebanese army to respond to the sources of fire.”

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least five additional Syrian soldiers were killed during the clashes. Civilians, including families with young children, were seen fleeing toward the Syrian village of Hermel as violence spread across the border region.

The newly established Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa of the U.S.-sanctioned terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, issued a rare statement vowing retaliation against Hezbollah.

“They took them to Lebanese territory and killed them. The Ministry of Defense will take all necessary measures in response to this escalation by Hezbollah,” the statement reads.

The conflict reflects deeper sectarian and ideological divisions. HTS, a Sunni terrorist group with roots in Syria’s jihadist insurgency and former ties to al Qaeda, and Hezbollah, a Shiite terrorist force backed by Iran, represent opposing factions in the ongoing struggle for regional dominance.

Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral of their commander, Wissam al-Tawil, in the village of Khirbet Selm, Lebanon, on Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

“Hezbollah is trying to take advantage of the new government’s weakness in Syria, but the group itself is in a precarious position. It has suffered major setbacks from Israeli strikes, the fall of Assad, and now new adversaries in Syria,” Javed Ali, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and former senior director at the National Security Council, told Fox News Digital.

The collapse of President Bashar Assad’s government in December marked a major turning point, as Hezbollah had spent 14 years backing him alongside Russia and Iran’s pro-Shiite militias. However, in late November, Syrian rebels launched a surprise offensive against Assad’s forces, just as a ceasefire was announced in northern Gaza, leading to the final collapse of his rule.

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Newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is shown in Beirut on Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Now in power, HTS has pledged to crack down on weapons and drug smuggling along the border, a move that directly threatens Hezbollah’s operations. The new Syrian government has already begun military deployments to secure its borders, further restricting Hezbollah’s ability to maneuver.

“Hezbollah is facing a confluence of threats unlike any time in its history,” said Ali. “With HTS consolidating control in Syria, Hezbollah’s overland weapons supply route from Iran has been severely compromised. This disruption could significantly degrade its operational capabilities.”

The rise of HTS as a governing force in Syria has also drawn U.S. attention. While Washington has designated HTS as a terrorist organization, analysts suggest that al-Sharaa’s pragmatic approach should be assessed cautiously.

“The U.S. is navigating a complex landscape in Syria, and while it does not officially recognize HTS, there are strategic interests in seeing Hezbollah and Iranian influence further weakened,” Ali noted.

HTS has attempted to rebrand itself from its extremist origins, portraying itself as a nationalist Islamist movement opposed to Iranian influence and Hezbollah’s expansion in Syria. While skepticism remains, the group’s control over key Syrian territory disrupts Iran’s ability to maintain a direct supply corridor to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A protester holds a placard with a photo of Ahmad al-Sharaa and the words “It doesn’t matter if he wears a turban or a tie, a murderer is a murderer” during a demonstration on March 11, 2025. (Murat Kocabas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Beyond Syria, Hezbollah is also facing growing challenges in Lebanon. The group’s losses in recent confrontations with Israel have emboldened its domestic opponents, who now see an opportunity to weaken its grip on Lebanese politics.

Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun echoed these concerns, highlighting three major threats to Lebanon’s stability: ongoing Israeli attacks, Hezbollah’s involvement in cross-border violence, and the unresolved Syrian refugee crisis.

“Officials must take immediate action to protect the safety of the nation and its citizens,” he said.

Further complicating the situation, Mounir Shehadeh, a former Lebanese government coordinator with the United Nations Interim Force peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, said “there is no presence of Hezbollah in the northeastern Bekaa Valley, and this is known by the people and tribes in the region.” His statement contradicts reports of Hezbollah’s activity along the Lebanese-Syrian border, raising questions about the true extent of its control.

Analysts say the long-term implications of these developments remain uncertain, but Hezbollah’s regional position is rapidly deteriorating. While Lebanese and Syrian officials are working to contain the crisis, the risk of further escalation remains high.

A Georgian court sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili to another prison term on Monday, extending his imprisonment time to 12 and a half years.

Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004-2013, had previously been sentenced on charges of abuse of power and embezzlement that he and his defence have rejected as politically motivated.

Judge Badri Kochlamazashvili sentenced the 57-year-old ex-president to an extra four years and six months on charges of illegal border crossing, adding time to his existing sentence.

Speaking by videoconference, Saakashvili dismissed the verdict as an “absolutely illegal, unjust sentencing of me for crimes I have not committed.”

“They want to annihilate me in prison,” he said. “But no matter what, I will fight till the end,” he vowed.

According to his lawyer, Beka Basilaia, Monday’s verdict “again showed that Saakashvili is a political prisoner.”

Saakashvili, a controversial reformist

Saakashvili is also accused of repressing demonstrators who claimed that his fervour had turned into dictatorship.

The former president, who led the country in a more pro-Western direction, led the so-called Rose Revolution protests in 2003 that drove his predecessor out of office and enacted a series of ambitious reforms tackling official corruption.

In 2008, he oversaw a brief but intense war with Russia that ended with the humiliating loss of the remaining Georgian bases in two separatist territories.

His reign was brought to an end in the 2012 election when the then newly formed Georgian Dream Party defeated Saakashvili’s United National Movement party.

Saakashvili left for Ukraine in 2013 and became a citizen. From 2015 to 2016, he governed the southern Odesa region.

However, he was swiftly detained when he returned to Georgia in October 2021 in an attempt to strengthen opposition forces before the national municipal elections.

Georgian Dream accused of influencing verdict

Saakashvili’s lawyer on Monday accused the ruling Georgian Dream of influencing the latest extension of the ex-Georgian leader’s prison term.

“As long as Georgian Dream remains in power, the judiciary is a farce and will make whatever decision it is instructed to,” Basilaia said.

Since 2012, when Saakashvili was ousted from office, the Georgian Dream Party has remained in power and itself has recently been facing criticisms and popular protests on allegations of a crackdown on democratic freedoms.

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The party is also accused of steering the country away from the path toward European Union membership and back into Russia’s sphere of influence.

After going on multiple hunger strikes, Saakashvili is currently being treated at the Vivamedi facility, where he is being monitored for a number of chronic illnesses, according to the clinic.