Syrian warplanes strike Lebanon border – reports
Syrian planes have bombed a Lebanese border town in eastern Bekaa Valley, the first such attack during the country’s ongoing crisis, according to a Lebanese army source.
“Syrian planes bombed the border between
Lebanon and Syria but I cannot yet say if they hit Lebanese
territory or only Syrian territory,”Lebanese news
website Naharnet quoted a military official, speaking
on condition of anonymity.
The warplanes entered 1 kilometer into Lebanese airspace and
struck the town of Kerbet Younan in the Wadi al-Khayl region of
Arsal, where the majority of Sunni Muslim residents support Syrian
rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, and fired four
rockets at a remote section of the border with Lebanon, according
to Reuters.
The
Syrian warplanes targeted two barns used by “armed men,”
Al-Manar reported.
No injuries were
reported.
An army patrol has been dispatched to the
border region to determine whether the Syrian missile hit Lebanese
territory, or the two countries’ shared border, Naharnet
said.
The airstrike comes less than a week after Syria threatened to attack Lebanese territory if
“terrorist gangs” continue to infiltrate the country. On
Thursday, Syria submitted a letter of protest to Lebanese
authorities, complaining of “violations of the neighboring
country’s territory on the border.”
Lebanon publicly vowed it would not become involved in the Syria
conflict. However, officials believe Lebanon remains at risk of
being dragged into the two-year long war, which according to UN
estimates has killed more than 70,000 people.
2013-03-18 09:07:33
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