Syrian Helicopters Fire Rockets, Raid Arsal Regions

Syrian helicopters fired several rockets on Saturday evening on the Arsal plains in the Bekaa.

"A Syrian army helicopter fired two rockets on Wadi al-Raayan area in Arsal,” the state-run National News Agency said.

The NNA later added that the helicopters fired another two rockets on al-Majar region in the Arsal plains.

Earlier in the afternoon, Syrian warplanes raided al-Rahwe area, also in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

On Thursday, Syria's air force carried out strikes on areas on the outskirts of Arsal.

The new raids came after an assault on Wednesday night.

Syria's army and Hizbullah overran the rebel bastion Yabrud in the Qalamoun mountains on Sunday and are now targeting other opposition strongholds along the frontier with Lebanon.

Mainly-Sunni Arsal has been periodically targeted with often deadly air strikes by Syria's forces in the past few months.

Arsal's residents support the Syrian revolt against President Bashar Assad, and the town is hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Smuggling routes used by opposition forces to move fighters and weapons back and forth between Lebanon and Syria pass through the Arsal area.

The army has erected several checkpoints in Arsal, which lead to the arrest of 43 Syrians until Saturday, among them were many Free Syrian Army and al-Nusra Front members.