Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement on border demarcation and to boost coordination between the two countries regarding security along their tense frontier, the Saudi Press Agency has reported Friday.

Lebanese Defence Minister Michel Menassa was scheduled to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, but the visit was cancelled.

Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, later flew to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, where they held talks that were attended by Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman and signed the deal.

The Saudi agency said the Lebanese and Syrian ministers signed an agreement in which both sides agreed on the “strategic importance to demarcate their border” and the formation of legal and specialised committees in different fields.

It added that both countries agreed to “activate coordination mechanisms” to deal with any security challenges along the border.

Over the past weeks, authorities on both sides of the nearly 400-kilometre-long border have been closing routes along the unmarked frontier.

While six official border crossings exist, the region remains porous, with frequent activity at unauthorised routes.

Earlier this month, clashes broke out along the border after Syria’s new government accused Lebanon’s Hezbollah group of crossing into Syria, abducting three soldiers, and killing them on Lebanese soil.

Hezbollah has denied any involvement.

Syria's government aims to tighten security and reinforce control on its borders, including with Lebanon, targeting drug smugglers and remnants of the former Assad regime that have been stirring unrest.