Residents of many of the Lebanese villages adjacent to the border with Syria has engaged recently in the formation of a "Civilian Guard" as a precaution to curb the movement of anti-Syrian government gunmen infiltrating the border, and in order to prevent the Syrian military response that usually follows such infiltration.

Municipal and mayoral sources in North and East Lebanon told Xinhua that prominent figures and tribal leaders worked on forming the "guard" units to work at night and monitor all the movements inside their villages and prevent any shooting from the Lebanese side of the border towards Syria.

The sources added that the residents of those villages began to feel insecure due to the repeated military actions undertaken by the Syrian Army against the "rebels" who took those villages as " launch pad" against the Damascus government.

The Syrian army conveyed very clear messages in the last few weeks that any infiltration of gunmen from the Lebanese border villages resulting in an attack against the army posts, will be followed by a harsh military response against the villages whatever the cost are.

The sources said that during the past weeks, machine guns were fired from the Lebanese side of the border towards Syria and that the Syrian army responded by firing mortar shells and heavy machine guns.

They added that the residents who are trying to curb the gunmen in their villages in east Lebanon were able to apprehend 3 militants who turned out to be Syrian displaced and they sent them out of the area.

The sources confirmed that 11 villages on the border with Syria have established the system of "Civil Guards" and took measures to prevent the deterioration of security in their region.

The residents agreed to lift the cover on anyone who tries to mess up with the security of the village and prevent any armed groups from infiltrating into Syria.

One prominent figure in Bekaa in central Lebanon told Xinhua that these measures do not contradict the policy executed by the Lebanese Army who we ask to take more measures that prevents the repeated security violations.

For his part, Sheikh Mohammad Al Ali, one of the tribal leaders in the Wadi Khaled region in North Lebanon, said that "an agreement between all the tribes and the municipalities of the region has been reached to control the illegal crossings on the borders that have been used for the infiltration of gunmen who were launching attacks against the Syrian Army posts."

"We call on the Lebanese army to reinforce the security measures and from our side we will never let anyone jeopardize our lives and security," Al Ali said.

The Syrian-Lebanese border has witnessed -- since the rebellion movement against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 -- various security incidents in addition to shootouts from the Lebanese side of the border towards the Syrian posts, which forced the Syrian army to violate the borders in defensive measures.