DAMASCUS, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian border security forces have engaged in intense clashes with "armed smuggling groups" in villages near the Lebanese border, a senior official said Monday.

Moayad Al-Salama, commander of the Western Region in the Border Security Administration, told state news agency SANA that the confrontations occurred over the past week as part of a broader operation to secure Syria's western frontier.

Al-Salama alleged that most of the smuggling gangs along the border are linked to Hezbollah, which he accused of protecting traffickers. During the operation, Syrian forces uncovered drug manufacturing sites, weapons caches, and counterfeit currency printing facilities.

Despite ongoing clashes, Syrian forces have refrained from striking Lebanese territory, although Al-Salama claimed Hezbollah shelled Syrian positions, prompting retaliation against traffickers and remnants of the former regime within Syria.

The Lebanese army said on Saturday it had ordered troops deployed along the Syrian border to retaliate against fire originating from Syrian territory.

Lebanon's military, acting on orders from President Joseph Aoun, started last week to retaliate against fires originating from Syrian territory that targeted Lebanese areas along the northern and eastern borders. According to the Lebanese National News Agency, sporadic Syrian artillery shells struck Lebanese soil, resulting in casualties and significant material damage. Enditem

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