France Calls on Syria to Respect Sovereignty of Lebanon

France on Tuesday condemned Syrian shelling of areas of northern Lebanon and said it backed Lebanese plans to boost its military presence along the Syrian border.

"France condemns the Syrian shelling of Lebanese territory and the repeated violent acts in recent days at the Syrian-Lebanese border," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told a press conference.

"We support the decision of the Lebanese cabinet to strengthen the presence of the Lebanese armed forces at the border, to guarantee the security of Lebanon's territory and its people," he said.

"France calls on Syria to strictly respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, in conformity with United Nations resolutions."

Shells fired from Syria landed overnight in northern Lebanon after an exchange of fire along the border, killing 2 Syrian refugees and one Lebanese and wounding 1.

Gunmen had opened fire on both sides of the border at several illegal crossing points.

This latest incident came just two days after border clashes in which two girls were killed and several other people wounded in Lebanon.