BEIRUT: The Syrian Central Bank has opened an account at the Lebanese Central Bank last week, Lebanon’s Al-Liwaa newspaper quoted Thursday a source familiar with the banks.

Although it is customary for banks to open accounts at foreign banks, the timing of the alleged move, which reportedly took place fewer than 10 days ago, raises questions, the paper said.

The source warned that Lebanon should be careful about opening such accounts on behalf of the Syrian Central Bank, in light of the sanctions currently being imposed on Syria.

When contacted by The Daily Star, the Central Bank declined to comment on the matter.

Over the past several weeks, the EU and the U.S. have imposed a number of economic sanctions on Syria in response to its crackdown on anti-government protests.

The European Union added Syrian President Bashar Assad and other senior officials to a list of those banned from travelling to the EU and subject to asset freezes in May.

In the coming days, the U.N. Security Council is expected to put forward a resolution condemning the Syrian government’s use of violence during the past three months of unrest.