Syrian planes bomb militant targets along Lebanon border
Iran Press TV
Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:23PM
Syrian planes have bombed targets along the country's border with Lebanon for the first time, hitting militant positions inside Lebanon, a Lebanese army source says.
'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 on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official said four missiles had been fired by Syrian warplanes, a number that was later confirmed by a Lebanese security services official on the ground.
He said the attacks targeted the town of Arsal, in east Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, where many Syrian militants fighting against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are positioned.
The mountainous, desert area is also use for the smuggling of arms by militants in to Syria.
Last week, Damascus warned Beirut that it would respond with force if 'armed terrorist gangs' continued to infiltrate from Lebanon.
'Syrian forces are showing restraint by not striking these gangs inside Lebanese territory to prevent them crossing into Syria, but this will not go on indefinitely,' the Syrian foreign ministry said in a message to its Lebanese counterpart.
On Saturday, a Lebanese government source said Beirut was taking the warning 'very seriously' and that 'intensive consultations are underway to find the best way to control the border.'
Syria has been experiencing unrest for two years and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.
PG/JR
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