Samar El-Khoury wrote in Markaziya:
In recent times there has been a strong resurgence of the smuggling talk, which is very active between Lebanon and Syria, and which includes basic necessities, in addition to fuel, and protests have increased, while unusual movements are being monitored at the borders. In context, a source following Al Markaziya indicates that smuggling is actively active these days, both across legal and illegal borders, due to the severe shortage Syria suffers from due to Iran’s failure to comply with its commitment to meet the country’s fuel needs.
With the scarcity of these materials, the prices have skyrocketed and have become as follows:
The price of a gas cylinder went from about 11,000 Syrian pounds to about $40 per cylinder, or about eighteen hundred Syrian pounds.
As for diesel, the price of a dish has reached the limits of 40 dollars, which is high compared to Lebanon, where it is sold here for around 18 dollars.
As for the petrol license plate, it fluctuates between 46 and 50 dollars, while in Lebanon its price is around 17 dollars.
Thus, the commitment of Arab and European countries to the Caesar Act, and Iran’s failure to fulfill its obligations, has reactivated smuggling operations on the Lebanese-Syrian borders, but how do these operations take place and is it possible to control them?
The main smuggling line, according to the source, are the Lebanese cities located north of Hermel in the Syrian hinterland, the most important of which are Blouza, Haweek, Al-Sumakiyat, Burj Al-Hamam, Jarmash, Al-Qasr, Al – Qusayr and others. These towns have no family papers, as they are considered Lebanese, and large-scale smuggling and sales operations are active in them.
Motorcycles are the main means of smuggling, especially since the Lebanese army closed the illegal crossings with dirt platforms and prevented the passage of tanks in the area known as the villages of Saqiyat Jossi, which separates Lebanon and Syria, for a length of 22 km, starting from al-Qaa and ending west of al-Qasr city, and smuggled goods pass through this line, directly to Homs, Syria.
According to what was reported by an eyewitness in Al-Markaziya, the motorcycles passing on the dirt platforms carry around 8 gas cans, or carry 4 petrol or diesel cans, each with a capacity of 50 liters (200 litres/each).
Another line active in smuggling is on the borders of Al-Masnaa and towards the south of Syria, i.e. from the villages of Western Bekaa, Al-Suweiri, Majdal Anjar, which is known as the Al-Masnaa-Sham line.
As for the most active area, it is the Haggana area, which is located between the Lebanese and Syrian checkpoints, and is an area that takes more than a quarter of an hour to cross.
As for the smuggling through the legal crossings, which is difficult to control, depending on the origin, it occurs through the entry or exit of jeeps or Mercedes cars (due to the large tanks), and they are regular, filling their tanks from Lebanon with petrol or diesel and transport them to the Syrian side.
On the other hand, smuggling operations from Syria to Lebanon are active, involving detergents for clothes and dishes, agricultural fertilizers, as well as medicines, all locally produced in Syria. As well as some foods, but in small quantities.
