USA citizen traveling to Syria through Lebanon

Hi everyone,
I am a US citizen I will be Lebanon for the next couple of weeks visiting family. I was hoping to take a trip into Syria to see Damascus. I did not get a Visa before leaving the States. Has anyone ever hear that you can enter Syria if you have Lebanese visa? I have heard from some travel agencies that the Lebanese visa will give me 72 hours in Syria. Has anyone else heard this?
I appreciate any information you can give me.

Sorry if this question ahs been asked before! I look but did not see anything!

I doubt if you get visa on the ground that you are coming from Lebanon.I also heard confliciting reports on this subject.
If i was you i take a taxi to borders and if denied entry i visit others sites near by like Anjar and Baalbeck etc.before heading back to Beirut

This was doable least year. I think they stopped this (meaning they enforced an existing prohibition) just a couple of months ago. I have not been around here in awhile so there may be newer information.