BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A senior Lebanese military official says Syria has deployed troops near Lebanon’s northern border in an attempt to crack down on smugglers.

The official says the deployment has nothing to do with security developments in Lebanon.

The deployment comes after Syrian president Bashar Assad recently warned that "extremist forces" - a reference to Sunni militants - were operating in northern Lebanon.

The Lebanese official declined to disclose the number of troops deployed on the northern border, but he dismissed as "exaggerated and inaccurate" press reports that 10,000 were involved.