3 Killed, 7 Wounded in Wadi Khaled Cross-Border Shelling
Three people were killed and another seven injured on Saturday as shells and Rocket Propelled Grenades landed on the northern area of Wadi Khaled from the Syrian side of the border, the National News Agency reported.
NNA said gunfire erupted near the northern and northeastern border with Lebanon between Syrian troops and gunmen at dawn and was followed by intense shelling.
Two Syrians were killed and two others injured when an RPG hit a center for refugees in the town of al-Hishe before noon.
More than 20 shells had reached Lebanese villages in Wadi Khaled between 1:15 am and 3:00 am which left 19-year-old Nadia al-Oaishi dead in al-Mhatta neighborhood and two children Ahmed and Mustafa al-Makhal injured, NNA said.
The daughters of a man identified as Berri Shehade in the town of al-Awade were also injured after their house was hit with shells.
Around seven shells landed on the village of al-Kalkha, where a child identified as Abir Ali al-Makhal was wounded. The town’s mosque was also hit with a Hawn.
President Michel Suleiman expressed remorse for the victims in Wadi Khaled and contacted the competent agencies to be briefed on the results of the investigations.
He demanded the security agencies to take all the necessary measures to prevent civilian casualties at all costs.
“The security and safety of citizens are a priority,” he added.
The new security situation caused panic among Wadi Khaled residents who moved to areas and towns away from the Syrian border. By 5:00 am there was cautious calm in the area, the news agency said.
The army’s general command said the military was put on a high state of alert and took extra security measures in the area following the incidents.
It also said the army took the necessary measures to resolve any violation of the Lebanese-Syrian border.
The army later issued a statement confirming the death of a child in al-Hishe while her father, brothers and two other relatives were seriously injured when a suspected body exploded near the house of a citizen.
“At 11:20 on Saturday a suspicious object exploded near the house of a citizen in al-Hishe leading to the death of a child while her father, two brothers and two other relatives were seriously injured,” the statement said.
It added that “immediately an army unit arrived and cordoned off the scene, and launched a probe into the incident.”
There have been several incidents of cross-border shooting or shelling in addition to infiltration of Syrian troops and kidnapping of Lebanese in the past months which have killed and wounded people inside Lebanon.
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