Army Fires Rubber Bullets at Saboteurs Preventing Syrian Fuel Tankers from Entering Lebanon

Several men scuffled on Wednesday with the army as they tried to prevent Syrian tankers from entering Lebanon via al-Masnaa border crossing, media reports said.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), the army fired rubber bullets after it was pelted with stones by protesters.

Several men, who hail from the Bekaa town of Taanayel, blocked the road before the Syrian tankers at dawn and assaulted their drivers.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), several tankers continued its way with broken glasses.

VDL (100.5) reported that several men were injured, identifying them as: Wael and Mohammed Abdulbaqi, Hassan Abdul Rahman, Mohammed Fneish and Ali Khalil Nabaa.

Several soldiers were also reportedly injured in the scuffle.

On Sunday, several youth and residents blocked the main road that links Rashaya with the Masnaa crossing to prevent six fuel tankers from crossing to Syria.

But the tankers crossed the Masnaa border crossing the next day.

In March, several Syria-bound fuel tanker trucks were torched in northern Lebanon and the residents of northern border towns blocked the roads that lead to Syria to prevent them from crossing into the country.

The attacks and the protests came to prevent fuel supplies across the border.