Syria moves to strengthen border crossings with Lebanon

Shafaq News- Damascus

Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Border Crossings and Ports is planning to reopen the Al-Dabousiyah border crossing with Lebanon in September after completing rehabilitation and modernization work, aiming to boost trade and improve the movement of travelers and goods between the two countries.

Mazen Alloush, the authority's director of public relations, told Shafaq News that reopening the crossing is a strategic step because of its key location on the Syrian-Lebanese border, predicting that resuming operations would improve the flow of cargo and passengers, strengthen overland connectivity between Syria and Lebanon, and support the authority's broader plan to modernize border crossings and enhance their operational readiness.

“Rehabilitation work is progressing rapidly and the crossing is expected to reopen and resume operations in September once the remaining technical and construction work is completed.”

He added that reconstruction of the border bridge linking the Syrian and Lebanese sides has reached its final stages alongside the refurbishment of the crossing's facilities, preparing the site to resume operations under updated operational standards.

The project includes upgrading passenger halls, rehabilitating service facilities, improving internal roads and yards, and completing the reconstruction of the border bridge.

“Syrian authorities are equipping the crossing to meet modern operational requirements and will announce the operating procedures before reopening, in line with those applied at Syria's other border crossings.”

The Al-Dabousiyah–Al-Aboudieh crossing is the second-busiest land border crossing between Syria and Lebanon after the Jdeidet Yabous–Masnaa crossing. Located between Al-Dabousiyah in Syria's Homs province and Al-Aboudieh in Lebanon's Akkar governorate, it opened in 2007 to facilitate trade and passenger traffic between the two countries. The crossing serves as a key route for transporting agricultural products, food supplies and fuel, while also providing an important transit point for residents of border communities.

According to Alloush, reopening Al-Dabousiyah will help distribute passenger and freight traffic across Syria's border crossings with Lebanon, easing pressure on the Jdeidet Yabous crossing while improving traffic flow and the quality of services provided to travelers. The move is also expected to support bilateral trade.

He vowed that the authority remains committed to balancing customs and security controls with the smooth movement of travelers and goods by upgrading border infrastructure and improving operational readiness. He also explained that Al-Dabousiyah rehabilitation project forms part of the authority's wider plan to modernize Syria's border crossings, strengthen trade and transit, improve overland connectivity with neighboring countries, and enhance services at border entry points.

Earlier, the General Authority for Borders and Customs in Syria stated that more than 522,000 travelers crossed through Syria’sJousieh border crossingwith Lebanon during the first half of 2026, including about 127,000 Syrian returnees under thevoluntary returnprogram.

Escalating hostilities in the region continue to impact cross-border movements from Lebanon into Syria. Between March 2 and April 12, 277,000 individuals crossed into Syria through three official border crossings, according to Syrian authorities. This includes 234,000 Syrians, 67,300 of whom indicated an intention to return permanently, and 43,000 Lebanese nationals, most with family links in Syria. The Masnaa–Jdeidet Yabous border crossing accounted for around 60% of the total crossings from Lebanon, followed by Al Qaa–Joussieh (31%). Crossings through Arida remain limited to pedestrian traffic only due to a damaged bridge.