New crisis hit Homs | Conflict between 4th Division and Military Intelligence prompts rise in prices of goods smuggled from Lebanon to Syria

The dispute between the 4th Division security checkpoints and the Military Intelligence responsible for crossing smuggling trucks coming from Lebanon into Homs province via illegal crossings has led to the lack of dozens of food commodities and the hike of their prices to an unprecedented level.

Private sources reported that tension erupted between the 4th Division security checkpoints and the Military Intelligence last week in Zita village, south-west of Homs along the border road between Syria and Lebanon over the demand of the 4th Division that Military Security checkpoints to withdraw from the routes that used by smugglers to transport goods to Homs province and to stop imposing levies on the smuggled goods.

The people and traders in Homs province rely on the foodstuff that is smuggled from Lebanon, especially vegetable oil, nappies, pasta, and other major commodities. Unfortunately, the dispute between the 4th Division security checkpoints and the Military Intelligence led to the increase of these goods’ prices to an unprecedented level.

The dispute not only prompted the foodstuff and essential commodities to rise, the fuel prices also spiked after the process of bringing gasoline and domestic gas from Lebanon to Syria, which the people relied on to mitigate the shortage of oil and gas in regime-controlled areas, was halted.

SOHR sources have monitored the rise of prices of some essential products on markets in Homs; the vegetable oil price has risen to 14,000 SYP per litre, the price of one litre of petrol has risen from 6,500 SYP to over 8,000 SYP, and the price of a household gas cylinder has also increased to 180,000 SYP, equivalent to the salary of an employee for three months.

It is worth noting that the 4th Division members stationed in western Homs countryside and Military Security checkpoints impose levies on smugglers who smuggle food via motorcycles from time to another. However, the large sums of money recently imposed by members of Military Security checkpoints on smugglers prompted the 4th Division to demand that Military Security members stop imposing levies on smuggled goods.