Lebanon's army confirmed that roughly 10,000 Syrian special forces have gathered in the Abbudiya border zone. Damascus told Beirut the deployment was a strictly internal security measure targeting smugglers and criminals, not a threat to Lebanon.
The announcement came as bilateral ties showed signs of warming. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman indicated the two countries could exchange ambassadors before year's end, a significant step after relations collapsed following the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2008, in its own words.