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| 3 Lebanese Soldiers Killed on Syrian Border | 3 Lebanese Soldiers Killed on Syrian Border |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| HERMEL, Lebanon — Four rockets hit this town near the Syrian border Tuesday afternoon, badly injuring a woman who was sitting under an olive tree in her yard, residents said, not long after unidentified gunmen killed three Lebanese soldiers at a border checkpoint in the Bekaa Valley, adding to fears that the crisis in Syria is spilling into Lebanon. | |
| Rocket attacks are coming more frequently and have killed at least three civilians, including a 17-year-old girl who died in her house on Monday night. Residents said they believed they were being targeted because Hezbollah, the pro-Syrian Lebanese militant group, is the political power in the village and bases some operations nearby. | |
| They blamed jihadi extremists. The residents said they believed the source of fire was in the Lebanese town of Arsal. Those firing, they believe, are either Syrian rebels or their Lebanese Sunni sympathizers. | |
| The Bekaa Valley narrows toward its northern end. Hermel and Arsal, mainly Shiite and mainly Sunni, respectively, climb up the hills on opposite sides of the valley. | |
| In the border checkpoint attack, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that gunmen opened fire on the soldiers from a car near the town of Arsal in the Bekaa Valley. Initial reports indicated that the gunmen fled into Syria but a Lebanese Army statement did not specify where the attackers had gone, saying only that they had fled to nearby mountains. | |
| According to the army statement, the attack on the border post was carried out by “an armed group in a black jeep. The troops stationed at the checkpoint confronted the aggressors. A clash broke out and resulted in the martyrdom of three soldiers.” | |
| Ahmad al-Fliti, Arsal’s deputy mayor, said details were unclear because the attack apparently took place at night. “Normally, there are no armed groups that we know of here, so there are doubts about what happened,” he said. Abu Omar, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Arsal for months, said a Lebanese Army unit had been deployed in the town after the incident, and that “a horrifying calm is reigning over Arsal.” Syrian refugees in the town, who arrived only 10 days ago, “are quite shaken,” he added, “because, as you know, they just fled the shelling and the violence in Syria.” | |
| Ahmad al-Fliti, Arsal’s deputy mayor, said details were unknown because the attack apparently took place at night. “Normally, there are no armed groups that we know of here, so there are doubts about what happened,” he said. Abu Omar, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Arsal for months, said a Lebanese Army unit had been deployed in the town after the incident, and that “a horrifying calm is reigning over Arsal.” Syrian refugees in the town, who arrived only 10 days ago, “are quite shaken,” he added, “because, as you know, they just fled the shelling and the violence in Syria.” | Ahmad al-Fliti, Arsal’s deputy mayor, said details were unknown because the attack apparently took place at night. “Normally, there are no armed groups that we know of here, so there are doubts about what happened,” he said. Abu Omar, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Arsal for months, said a Lebanese Army unit had been deployed in the town after the incident, and that “a horrifying calm is reigning over Arsal.” Syrian refugees in the town, who arrived only 10 days ago, “are quite shaken,” he added, “because, as you know, they just fled the shelling and the violence in Syria.” |
| The attack Tuesday came as Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon were battling Syrian rebels for control of the strategic town of Qusayr. The Syrian rebels and their Lebanese supporters have expressed anger that Lebanon is allowing Hezbollah fighters to cross into Syria, even as it impedes the Syrian rebels own cross-border movements. | The attack Tuesday came as Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon were battling Syrian rebels for control of the strategic town of Qusayr. The Syrian rebels and their Lebanese supporters have expressed anger that Lebanon is allowing Hezbollah fighters to cross into Syria, even as it impedes the Syrian rebels own cross-border movements. |
| Some of the rebels have even threatened attacks on the Lebanese Army. | Some of the rebels have even threatened attacks on the Lebanese Army. |
| Jamal Maarouf, the commander of a powerful rebel group based in northern Syria, the Syrian Martyrs Brigade, warned Monday that the Lebanese Army should stop the Hezbollah fighters from crossing into Syria and should allow Lebanese Sunni militants to go to the rebels’ aid. | Jamal Maarouf, the commander of a powerful rebel group based in northern Syria, the Syrian Martyrs Brigade, warned Monday that the Lebanese Army should stop the Hezbollah fighters from crossing into Syria and should allow Lebanese Sunni militants to go to the rebels’ aid. |
| “I have 500 fighters in Lebanon, ready to move,” Mr. Maarouf, said in an interview this week with The New York Times. “The Lebanese government should take a clear stance. Their silence means they are satisfied.” | “I have 500 fighters in Lebanon, ready to move,” Mr. Maarouf, said in an interview this week with The New York Times. “The Lebanese government should take a clear stance. Their silence means they are satisfied.” |
| Saad Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, said in a statement that the attack Tuesday was “an indicator of upcoming dangers that will target the national peace.” Mr. Hariri called on “all political groups to be vigilant and wise, to enable the army to accomplish its mission of protecting this peace, and to keep away from ongoing operations aiming to drag Lebanon into the fighting inside Syria.” | |
| The border near Arsal, where the attack occurred, is rather porous and has been used as a conduit for weapons by Syrian rebels. Tuesday marked the second time a clash has occurred there this year. In February, gunmen ambushed a Lebanese Army convoy near the town, killing a captain and a sergeant. | The border near Arsal, where the attack occurred, is rather porous and has been used as a conduit for weapons by Syrian rebels. Tuesday marked the second time a clash has occurred there this year. In February, gunmen ambushed a Lebanese Army convoy near the town, killing a captain and a sergeant. |
| The disorder is raising fears that Lebanon, with its own fragile politics, will be drawn further into the Syrian crisis. Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, has officially inserted his group into the Syrian war raging next door. With Hezbollah militants fighting alongside Mr. Assad’s forces in Syria, the Sunni rebels have vowed to strike Hezbollah in its own Lebanese heartlands. | The disorder is raising fears that Lebanon, with its own fragile politics, will be drawn further into the Syrian crisis. Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, has officially inserted his group into the Syrian war raging next door. With Hezbollah militants fighting alongside Mr. Assad’s forces in Syria, the Sunni rebels have vowed to strike Hezbollah in its own Lebanese heartlands. |
| On Monday, four rockets landed in Hermel in northern Lebanon, killing a girl and wounding two people. On Sunday, four Syrian workers were injured when two rockets hit a car dealership in Dahiya, the Shiite-majority southern suburb of Beirut. | On Monday, four rockets landed in Hermel in northern Lebanon, killing a girl and wounding two people. On Sunday, four Syrian workers were injured when two rockets hit a car dealership in Dahiya, the Shiite-majority southern suburb of Beirut. |
Hania | Anne Barnard reported from Hermel, Lebanon, Hania Mourtada from Beirut, Lebanon, and David Jolly from Paris. |