evidence: Lebanon: Bekaa & Baalbek - El-Hermel Governorates Profile (October 2018) [...] Until August 2017, Baalbek’s north-eastern border was the site of sporadic armed clashes opposing Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Hezbollah to Islamist Armed Opposition Groups (I/AOG) around the localities of Aarsal, al-Zoueitini, Khreibeh, Qaa and Ras Baalbek. Some border towns were also subject to suicide bombings and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). [...] August 2017 marked a significant milestone in the stabilization of the region. Indeed, positions previously held since 2014 by I/AOG Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and ISIS have been cleared by successive operations led by Hezbollah and the Lebanese Armed Forces. Marking the improvement of the security situation, the al-Qaa Jousieh border crossing re-opened in December 2017, after five years of closure. The LAF intermittently conducts military operations against local drug cartels which prevail in some towns, which can seldom lead to unrest.