The head of Lebanon's Transit Companies Syndicate, Sarkis Attallah, has proposed activating a decision by Lebanon's Higher Customs Council allowing goods bound for Syria to be transported in sealed containers directly from Lebanese ports, without unloading them onto trucks inside the port area.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, February 25, Attallah said the proposal aligns with a recent decision by Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports to ban the entry of non Syrian trucks into Syrian territory. It also builds on a joint agreement between Lebanese and Syrian committees stipulating that goods exported from Lebanon be transferred from Lebanese trucks to Syrian trucks at the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing.
Jdeidet Yabous is located on the Syrian Lebanese border, west of Damascus.
According to Attallah's statement, published by Lebanon's National News Agency, the proposal would facilitate transit movement by allowing goods arriving from abroad and destined for Syria to leave Lebanese ports in their original containers, without being unloaded onto trucks within the port's premises.
Under this mechanism, containers would be transported directly, properly sealed by Lebanese customs, to the Jdeidet Yabous crossing, where they would be unloaded onto Syrian trucks under the supervision of the cargo owner and in accordance with applicable regulations.
Attallah said the measure would yield several positive outcomes, including:
He described the proposal as a "practical and responsible step" to support Lebanon's national economy, protect the transit sector from further decline, and reestablish the country's position as a key logistical hub in the region.
Syria bans entry of foreign trucks
On February 7, Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports decided to prohibit the entry of non Syrian trucks into Syrian territory via land crossings. Under the decision, goods must be transferred between Syrian and non Syrian trucks within the customs yard of each crossing, in accordance with approved procedures.
The authority exempted transit trucks from the ban, provided that customs police escort them between crossings under existing regulations.
According to the decision's text, the measure aims to regulate freight movement across land border crossings and seaports.
Concerns in Lebanon and calls for reciprocity
The Syrian decision has raised concerns within Lebanon's transport sector. Representatives of transport syndicates and unions warned of additional operational burdens and rising costs, as well as negative repercussions on the transport industry and bilateral trade, France 24 reported on February 10.
Following a meeting at the Directorate of Transport, union representatives rejected what they described as unilateral measures imposing extra burdens on Lebanon's land transport sector.
They also called on Lebanon's Ministry of Public Works to take appropriate steps to protect the sector, including adopting a principle of reciprocity in regulating the entry of Syrian trucks into Lebanese territory.
Bilateral understandings to ease transport
In August 2025, Syria's Ministry of Transport announced a series of agreements reached by the joint Syrian Lebanese land transport committee during meetings held on August 12 and 13, aimed at improving cooperation and removing obstacles to passenger and freight transport between the two countries.
According to a statement published on the ministry's Facebook page on August 16, 2025, the decisions included:
