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The implementation of the project is scheduled to begin with the establishment of a model border center that includes the offices of all relevant agencies, most notably Public Security, Customs, and the Army, with funding from the European Union and in cooperation with international donors, through a donation estimated at approximately $30 million, which also includes equipping the crossing with the necessary equipment and technologies to enhance supervision and control smuggling operations. Implementation work is expected to take more than a year, given that it will begin with excavation work in the mountain on which the property is located.
This project has been on the table for years, after it became clear that the distance between the Lebanese and Syrian customs centers (12 kilometers) was being exploited by smugglers for their operations. Lebanon considers that the understanding with Damascus on the project provides an opportunity to tighten border control and tighten measures aimed at combating the smuggling of drugs, goods and illicit trade. (Al-Akhbar)
