Syrian Planes Bomb Khirbet Younin, Wadi al-Khayl in Arsal Outskirts
Syrian warplanes bombed the border area with Lebanon for the first time on Monday, a high-ranking Lebanese army official told Agence France Presse, reportedly targeting Syrian rebel positions inside Lebanon.
"Syrian planes bombed the border between Lebanon and Syria but I cannot yet say if they hit Lebanese territory or only Syrian territory," the military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But a Lebanese security services official on the ground confirmed that the warplanes had fired four missiles against Syrian rebel positions on the Lebanese side of the border.
He said the attacks targeted the town of Arsal, in east Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, where many residents back the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The National News Agency had reported: “Syrian warplanes bombed the outskirts of the towns of Khirbet Younin and Wadi al-Khayl in Arsal's barren mountains.
Meanwhile, according to al-Manar television, the warplanes planes had targeted two barns used by rebel forces in the Wadi al-Khayl area of Arsal.
Al-Mayadeen television said the neighboring country's army targeted the positions of gunmen in the towns of al-Dabaa and Jousiyyeh near the Lebanese border.
Local resident Suheil Fliti told AFP that the missiles had fallen in an agricultural area and there were no injuries in the incident.
Lebanon has publicly committed itself to staying neutral in the violence engulfing Syria, but the conflict has already exacerbated tensions in the country.
Syrian troops have on several occasions fired shells over the border, while the Damascus regime accused Lebanon of allowing Sunni fighters to cross illegally into Syria to join the rebels.
On Sunday, shells fired during clashes inside Syria struck the outskirts of the Akkar towns of al-Noura, al-Qashlaq, Wadi al-Hour, Janine and Amar al-Baikat, the NNA reported.
LBCI television elaborated saying that the shelling also targeted the outskirts of the town of al-Arma.
On Thursday, Syria threatened that its forces would fire into Lebanon if "terrorist gangs" continued to infiltrate the country.
In a letter of protest to Lebanon, the neighboring country's foreign ministry said: “Armed terrorist gangs have infiltrated Syrian territory in large numbers from Lebanon".
"Syrian forces have confronted these gangs and clashes are continuing," the letter said.
Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali told As Safir newspaper that Syria doesn't have an interest in having tense relations with Lebanon.
“Yet we can't compromise the security and stability of Syria,” he said. “We are under attack and we won't accept that.”
March 14 opposition sources told al-Joumhouria that “Damascus would not waste any chance in transferring its battles to Lebanon.”
Source: Naharnet
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