The Burning Borders - will Jolani's Takfiri Forces Intervene in Lebanon?

The Jolani strike-force deployment contradicts statements that Lebanese sovereignty will be respected by Damascus.

On the 26th May 2026, Lebanese Prime Minister and Saudi-Zionist agent, Nawaf Salam went to Damascus for the second time and met with Al Qaeda incumbent Al Jolani (Ahmed Al Sharaa). Salam was accompanied by the Ministers of Economy, Transport and Energy. Salam said the visit aimed to “strengthen bilateral relations in the fields of economy, transport, and energy,” while also tightening relations “with Syrian leaders to resolve outstanding issues between Lebanon and Syria in a spirit that serves the interests of both nations.” He also said that Lebanese-Syrian relations are based on “trust and mutual respect for the sovereignty” of both countries.

Jolani and Salam discussed the issues of “smuggling” along the porous Syrian/Lebanese border which can be better described as preventing the supply of arms and equipment to the Lebanese Resistance and ensuring control of the borders as part of the Zionist security apparatus. According to Salam “significant progress” was made.

Jolani shakes hands with Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam at the People's Palace in Damascus on May 9, 2026 [AFP/SANA]

One month later and Lebanon is battered and bleeding from a relentless Zionist bombardment, dismissed by Salam and President Aoun as the fault of the people defending their land against Zionist occupation and aggression. Mass detonation of entire towns and villages are still ongoing, the liberal contamination of agricultural land with the Zionist release of White Phosphorous and daily civilian massacres are mirroring the genocide in Gaza and West Bank. The daily drone assassinations across Lebanon are barely registered in the Lebanese regime statements. It was Iran that boldly stepped in and brought Lebanon into the “peace” deal with the US, demanding an end to the Zionist aggression and final withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Israel has consistently violated any ceasefire agreements from November 2024 onwards (and historically), when the Lebanon-Israel “ceasefire” led to the fall of Damascus two weeks later. After that “Israel” violated the ceasefire on a daily, even hourly basis while Hezbollah honoured the agreement until the US-Zionist war against Iran reignited on the 28th February and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated. On March 2nd, Hezbollah re-entered the war and provided a support front for Iran against the Zionist colonisers.

Two days ago, Saudi Al Arabiya reported that Jolani had dismissed the comments by President Trump suggesting that Syria might be willing to intervene in Lebanon - according to ‘anonymous’ sources, Jolani claimed that “what is being circulated about Syria entering Lebanon is nothing more than rumours”

Trump had told US broadcaster NBC:

“I’d like to see a more surgical attack on Hezbollah. I think it should be more surgical. And we can help them with that, or we can recommend Syria. Syria’s doing a very good job of cleaning up their act. They have a very good leader. They have a leader that’s really done a good job in a short period of time. And he would love to help.”

Syrian interior ministry spokesperson Noureddine Al Baba went on Syrian television to say that Damascus stands with President Aoun in “preserving Lebanon’s security and the sovereignty of the Lebanese state”. The same President Aoun that has been negotiating away Lebanese sovereignty in direct talks with the genocidal regime intent on ethnically cleansing the south of the country.

Iran has now agreed, in principle, to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding and the signing will allegedly take place in Switzerland on Friday 19th June. This comes after Israel bombed a residential area in the southern Beirut suburbs on a busy Sunday afternoon, killing three civilians and injuring multiple others. Instead of the promised retaliation, Iran was persuaded to accept Trump’s guarantees that Israel would cease the aggression and eventually withdraw from Lebanese territory.

According to Zionist media outlet Maariv, Netanyahu directly rejects the Lebanon clause of the US-Iran agreement announced by Pakistan, telling Trump the IOF will not withdraw from Lebanon and that Israel does not consider itself bound by the clause. This is not a split between Trump and Netanyahu as it will be presented in many circles - this is the familiar routine to achieve common goals in the region as will be explained.

Firstly to examine the Jolani claims that Syria will not be weaponised against the Resistance in Lebanon.

The Security and Intelligence Report

Based on reports from inside Syria, the following information can be revealed:

The military build up along the Lebanese-Syrian border contradicts the statements from Jolani and appears to align with the claims by Trump, that Syria is preparing to intervene.

According to the on-the-ground evidence, there is no longer what might be described as a routine deployment. There is evidence of a radical restructuring of the strike force on the border, led by the HTS (Al Qaeda) 70th and 84th Divisions. According to sources:

The 70th Division is an “international special operations” unit whose personnel and official structure have been integrated into an unprecedented military framework. This division comprises six ideological brigades comprising hardline foreign fighters who have been integrated into the structure of the Syrian Ministry of Defence, with the “Turkistan Islamic Party” forming its main core with some 3,500 Uighur fighters, alongside the “Army of Emigrants and Supporters” (North Caucasus), the “Tawhid and Jihad Brigades”, “Ajnad al-Kavkaz”, “Al-Asaib al-Hamra” and the “Albanian Brigades”.

The leadership of the 70th Division is headed up by Abu Muhammad Al Turkistani, General Commander. Direct Turkish influence is evident in Omar Muhammad Jaftchi (Mukhtar Al Turki) the commander of Division 84.

These commanders have been given official military ranks in the “New Syria” armed forces without any investigation into war crimes and crimes against Humanity committed during the 14-year external war against Syria, by these individuals or the forces under their command. The inclusion of these commanders and the Takfiri groups within the divisions does place the New Syrian Ministry of “Defence” under the potential threat of secondary international sanctions, should those that brought Jolani to power, turn against him.

Members of the groups have clear links to classified terrorist organisations like ISIS and there are mounting international demands for an investigation into the massacres in Suwayda and Al-Sahel, Syria, alongside previous investigations into the ethnic cleansing operations against Alawite minorities in the coastal region.

According to field reports, the deployment of strike forces far exceeds defence positioning and suggests a broader and active offensive operation.

Strategic control:

There have been intensive mobilisation and reinforcement operations for multiple divisions, in addition to 70 and 84. Divisions 52, 40 and 44 have been deployed to the western Homs countryside (north of Tripoli), the city of Al Qusayr and the Jdeidat Yabous area, adjacent to the Al Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon - extending as far as the Al Qalamoun mountains.

There has been an increased installation of advanced electronic surveillance and reconnaissance stations in the commanding hills of Sirghaya which can be used to surveil the Lebanese hinterland.

Massive troop movements and a continuous flow of fighters and weapons have been observed deep within the Damascus countryside, specifically in Al-Nabk (see first map) and Jabal al-Mani’, to ensure the sustainability of the forward lines.

At the same time another axis is being prepared in the southern Tartous countryside (see first map) which has the potential to intersect with the Western Homs countryside-axis. This is a clear encirclement strategy.

What these maneuvers suggest is that Trump was saying the quiet part out loud again and Jolani’s denial is not supported by the reports from on the ground, inside Syria. It remains to be seen if the combat doctrine comprises limited excursions at strategic points along the border or a decisive proxy confrontation with the Resistance factions in Lebanon.

There are also unconfirmed reports of Ukrainian special forces and advisor presence, particularly in the Tartous region. Ukraine was instrumental in providing Jolani and his militia with training and drone technology in the year before the Al Qaeda operations against Aleppo were initiated in December 2024.

What is clear is that Jolani has integrated a huge percentage of foreign mercenary fighters into the ranks of the so-called New Syrian armed forces, including Uzbeks, Uighurs and Chechens.

As of early 2025, analysts estimate that roughly 5,000 foreign fighters still live in Syria. Many have put down roots. “We’ve had people from Belarus, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, and other places,” said Mohammed Kurdi, a barber who encountered foreign men in his shop.

According to one Syrian analyst (names are withheld for their security):

The integration of foreign fighters and their official naturalisation reflects a desire to employ “shock forces” and tactics that do not adhere to traditional rules of engagement and pay no heed to international legal consequences.

“Border manoeuvres” and scenarios for a Lebanese incursion.

The following scenarios have been given to me by former Syrian military experts who envisage the following possible operations:

Jolani’s strike forces (Divisions 70, 84, 52, 40 and 44) mobilising according to a flexible helicopter deployment plan that allows for the execution of three surprise scenarios:

The “strangling of the Bekaa” blockade scenario :

An advance from Al-Qusayr and Al-Qalamoun to cut off the north-eastern flank of Lebanon (Hermel and the northern Bekaa) in order to isolate it from Syrian territory, thereby fulfilling Western intelligence and Zionist requirements for severing regional supply lines. This would have the potential to create a buffer zone on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

The “Coastal Spearhead” scenario or encirclement:

A lightning-fast incursion launching from the southern Tartous countryside towards the northern border area and northern Lebanon, taking advantage of the clandestine nature of this axis to establish a contiguous coastal-land zone of influence.

The Control of Masnaa scenario:

A direct frontal assault from “Jdeidat Yabous” under covering fire, provided by the commanding “Sirghaya” hills, to seize control of the Masnaa crossing and penetrate the Central Bekaa to paralyse transport links between Beirut and the border. This would give Syria full control of the primary crossing between Syria and Lebanon and with the Zionists occupying Syrian territory close to the border since December 2024.

All these scenarios will likely involve specialised UAV-drone units, as was seen during the Al Qaeda advance in 2024.

With these possible scenarios in mind, we have to ask if Jolani’s intervention in Lebanon is only “rumours” - why are strike and surveillance units, numbering nearly 70,000 fighters, being deployed along the border with Lebanon? Has Jolani subjugated himself to the Zionist-US strategy to isolate and disarm Hezbollah while Israel expands into Lebanese territory? Certainly, Jolani has always positioned himself against Iran and the Axis of Resistance.

Does the Turkish influence within the New Syria military command structure reflect an intelligence coordination between Damascus and Ankara to secure influence over Lebanon? Erdogan’s Mavi Vatan doctrine advocates for expanded Turkish territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZ) across the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara views Lebanon as the final “missing piece” in the Eastern Mediterranean energy map. In 2025, an article in The Cradle detailed the Turkish ambitions in Lebanon which include:

Turkiye’s ambitions in northern Lebanon - as in northern Syria and Iraq - extend well beyond community influence; it aims to establish and control vital strategic infrastructure:

First, Ankara seeks to transform Tripoli’s port, one of the largest in the Eastern Mediterranean – larger than Tel Aviv’s port in both size and depth – into a logistical hub to transport Turkish goods into Syria and potentially Iraq. Turkish companies have already expressed interest in investing in and upgrading the port’s facilities, which are located close to the Syrian border, to international standards.

We do know that if Israel eventually accepts a facade of a ceasefire in Lebanon, there may be a pivot towards an attempt to weaken Hezbollah by proxy and this would bring Jolani and Damascus into the equation. Whether we are witnessing preparations for a direct Al Qaeda-ISIS military invasion or the agenda is to impose a Zionist bloc “security cordon” to sever all regional supply lines and to blockade Lebanon from the north and east, remains to be seen in the coming days. Two things are certain, threat levels are high and Jolani is not to be trusted.

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