Syria apologized to Lebanon on Wednesday for repeated border violations and has vowed to respect its neighbor’s independence and sovereignty, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman's office told AFP Wednesday.
An official in Sleiman's office confirmed Sleiman had raised the border violations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that security officials in both countries had discussed the matter.
According to Al-Liwaa newspaper, Sleiman said he had personally spoken with Assad on the repeated cross-border incursions and that "Syria had expressed regret for the unintended violations," - vowing they would not be repeated.
Sleiman also confirmed the Syrian army had planted land-mines along the border with Lebanon to prevent smuggling and infiltration.
Tension along Lebanon's border with Syria have mounted during the now seven-month revolt against Assad's regime, which has left more than 3,500 dead in a bloody crackdown according to the United Nations.
Amid the brutal crackdown some 5,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon, among them defecting soldiers and opposition organizers.
Syria has staged a number of incursions into Lebanon in recent weeks that have left three Syrians dead.
The Lebanese government, dominated by the Syrian-backed Hezbollah and its allies, has taken a low-key approach to the border violations.
But pro-Western opposition leaders have become increasingly critical of the government's weak response to violations of Lebanese territory.
That criticism has begun to boil over amid reports Assad's security services, aided by Hizbullah aligned members of Lebanon's own intelligence services, and members of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine abducted four Syrian opposition figures in Lebanon and spirited them into Syrian hands.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati last week acknowledged Syrian opposition figures had been kidnapped in Lebanon, but downplayed the abductions as isolated incidents - just as he has the border incursions.
Syria has traditionally held sway in Lebanese politics, but it was forced to withdraw its troops from its smaller neighbor in 2005 following a 29-year presence.