It has been a long-standing tradition in Lebanon for residents of the coastal cities and towns of lower elevation to escape the summer heat by going up to the mountains for the summer. This is called estivation. We encountered this goat herder with his herd, dogs and mule on the way to their summer residence in the highlands (seriously). By the way, the guy in the hat is Padre, not the goat herder.
How did you handle the security/border control issue for hiking mount hermon?
The best thing to do as far as the security/border issue is to go with an experienced and reputable tour operator. We usually also prefer to have a local guide with us. There is a list of tour operators on the LMT website.