Mistrust, fear: Complex story behind strained Syria-Lebanon relations

Many Syrians have resented Hezbollah for wading into civil war in defence of govt

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BEIRUT: A lot has happened in just a year on both sides of the Lebanon-Syria border. A lightning offensive by Islamist insurgents in Syria toppled longtime autocrat Bashar Assad and brought a new government in place in Damascus.

In Lebanon, a bruising war with Israel dealt a serious blow to Hezbollah—the Iran-backed and Assad-allied Shiite Lebanese militant group that had until recently been a powerful force in the Middle East—and a US-negotiated deal has brought a fragile ceasefire.

Still, even after the fall of the 54-year Assad family rule, relations between Beirut and Damascus remain tense—as they have been for decades past, with Syria long failing to treat its smaller neighbour as a sovereign nation.

Recent skirmishes along the border have killed and wounded several people, both fighters and civilians, including a four-year-old Lebanese girl.