BEIRUT - Syrian authorities released on Monday nine Lebanese fishermen after they strayed into their neighbour’s territorial waters two days ago, Lebanese security sources said.

“The fishermen are released and will shortly be in Lebanon,” Lebanese security sources told DPA.

The arrests, which took place on Saturday, prompted Lebanese fishermen in northern Lebanon to stage a sit-in earlier on Monday.

The Lebanese fishermen insisted that they had been “going worry- fee into Syrian territorial waters for years” and that “a large number of Syrian fishermen operate in northern Lebanese ports”.

Syrian Transport Minister Makram Obeid was quoted as saying on Sunday that the arrest of the nine Lebanese fishermen was “a judicial measure”.

The incident came as meanwhile hundreds of trucks remained stuck at the main Syria-Lebanon border after Damascus reinforced security controls and said it was modernising the border crossings.

Some Lebanese believe the arrests and hold-ups are a reaction to the departure of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April following international pressure for them to leave after a nearly 29-year presence. (DPA)