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| Violence on Lebanese Border Adds to Fears of Syrian Encroachment | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| HERMEL, Lebanon — Four rockets hit this village 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. | HERMEL, Lebanon — Four rockets hit this village 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 in Hermel 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 that they were being targeted because Hezbollah, the pro-Syrian Lebanese Shiite militant group, is the political power in the village and bases some operations nearby. | Rocket attacks are coming more frequently in Hermel 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 that they were being targeted because Hezbollah, the pro-Syrian Lebanese Shiite militant group, is the political power in the village and bases some operations nearby. |
| But Saad Hamedeh, the son of Hermel’s tribal sheik, said there were no military targets in the village. “They are trying to kill civilians,” he said. | But Saad Hamedeh, the son of Hermel’s tribal sheik, said there were no military targets in the village. “They are trying to kill civilians,” he said. |
| Residents blamed jihadi extremists for the rocket fire and said they believed that the source was in the Lebanese town of Arsal. Those firing, they believe, are either Syrian rebels or their Lebanese Sunni sympathizers. | Residents blamed jihadi extremists for the rocket fire and said they believed that the source 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, mainly Shiite, and Arsal, mainly Sunni, climb up the hills on opposite sides of the valley. | The Bekaa Valley narrows toward its northern end. Hermel, mainly Shiite, and Arsal, mainly Sunni, 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 Arsal. Initial reports indicated that the gunmen then 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. | In the border checkpoint attack, the Lebanese National News Agency reported that gunmen opened fire on the soldiers from a car near Arsal. Initial reports indicated that the gunmen then 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,” it said. “A clash broke out and resulted in the martyrdom of three soldiers.” | 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,” it said. “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. | 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. |
| A Syrian refugee who gave his name as Abu Omar and has been living in Arsal for months said a Lebanese Army unit was deployed in the town after the shooting, and “a horrifying calm is reigning over Arsal.” Syrian refugees 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.” | A Syrian refugee who gave his name as Abu Omar and has been living in Arsal for months said a Lebanese Army unit was deployed in the town after the shooting, and “a horrifying calm is reigning over Arsal.” Syrian refugees 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.” |
| Saad Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, said in a statement that the attack 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.” | Saad Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, said in a statement that the attack 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 is rather porous and has been used as a conduit for weapons by Syrian rebels. Tuesday’s clash was the second in the area this year. In February, gunmen ambushed a Lebanese Army convoy near the town, killing a captain and a sergeant. | The border near Arsal is rather porous and has been used as a conduit for weapons by Syrian rebels. Tuesday’s clash was the second in the area this year. In February, gunmen ambushed a Lebanese Army convoy near the town, killing a captain and a sergeant. |
| Hezbollah, in a statement, condemned the assault in Arsal, calling it a “heinous crime inflicted on the sons of the military institution” and “an assault on all Lebanese people.” | Hezbollah, in a statement, condemned the assault in Arsal, calling it a “heinous crime inflicted on the sons of the military institution” and “an assault on all Lebanese people.” |
| The attack came as Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah fighters were battling Syrian rebels for control of the strategic town of Qusayr. The Syrian rebels and their Lebanese supporters are angry that Lebanon is allowing Hezbollah fighters to cross into Syria, even as it impedes the Syrian rebels’ own cross-border movements. Some rebels have even threatened attacks on the Lebanese Army. | The attack came as Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah fighters were battling Syrian rebels for control of the strategic town of Qusayr. The Syrian rebels and their Lebanese supporters are angry that Lebanon is allowing Hezbollah fighters to cross into Syria, even as it impedes the Syrian rebels’ own cross-border movements. Some rebels have even threatened attacks on the Lebanese Army. |
| Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army — the loose-knit, Western-backed rebel umbrella group — warned Tuesday in an interview with the Arabiya news channel about the repercussions of Hezbollah’s incursion, saying the rebel army would pursue Hezbollah fighters wherever they went. | Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army — the loose-knit, Western-backed rebel umbrella group — warned Tuesday in an interview with the Arabiya news channel about the repercussions of Hezbollah’s incursion, saying the rebel army would pursue Hezbollah fighters wherever they went. |
| Saying he held the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman, directly responsible for the bloodshed in Qusayr, he called on the Arab League and the United Nations to remove Hezbollah militants from Syrian territory immediately. He also referred to the presence of Russian-backed Iraqi and Iranian fighters in Syria as a “Russian invasion.” | Saying he held the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman, directly responsible for the bloodshed in Qusayr, he called on the Arab League and the United Nations to remove Hezbollah militants from Syrian territory immediately. He also referred to the presence of Russian-backed Iraqi and Iranian fighters in Syria as a “Russian invasion.” |
| It is unclear how the Lebanese government can rein in Hezbollah, since the militant group is much more powerful and well-armed than the Lebanese Army. The army also finds itself stretched thin as it tries to temper sustained sectarian violence in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli. | It is unclear how the Lebanese government can rein in Hezbollah, since the militant group is much more powerful and well-armed than the Lebanese Army. The army also finds itself stretched thin as it tries to temper sustained sectarian violence in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli. |
| In the Arabiya interview, General Idris, who grew up outside Qusayr, denied that Hezbollah and Syrian government forces had managed to seize 80 percent of the town, as one Hezbollah source has claimed. | In the Arabiya interview, General Idris, who grew up outside Qusayr, denied that Hezbollah and Syrian government forces had managed to seize 80 percent of the town, as one Hezbollah source has claimed. |
| Before the attacks in Hermel, residents paraded through the village carrying the Hezbollah flag to honor a fighter from the town killed in Qusayr. Villagers said the minority of people there who had not supported Hezbollah in the past were supporting it now, after the shelling, and Mr. Hamedeh defended the group. “What is the substitute for Hezbollah?” he said. “Hezbollah is financing schools, hospitals, jobs. I think Hezbollah is fighting on behalf of the whole international community against terrorism.” | Before the attacks in Hermel, residents paraded through the village carrying the Hezbollah flag to honor a fighter from the town killed in Qusayr. Villagers said the minority of people there who had not supported Hezbollah in the past were supporting it now, after the shelling, and Mr. Hamedeh defended the group. “What is the substitute for Hezbollah?” he said. “Hezbollah is financing schools, hospitals, jobs. I think Hezbollah is fighting on behalf of the whole international community against terrorism.” |
| In the afternoon, the outdoor restaurants along the Orontes River were nearly deserted, their umbrellas advertising Lebanese beer closed. A few people ate grilled trout beside the water as rockets occasionally sailed overhead. They paused at the sound of rockets being fired from the east side of the river, listening for the impact on the other side, 20 seconds later. It was an everyday occurrence, they said. | |
| The disorder is raising fears that Lebanon, with its own fragile politics, will be drawn further into the Lebanese crisis. On Monday, four rockets landed in Hermel, 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. | The disorder is raising fears that Lebanon, with its own fragile politics, will be drawn further into the Lebanese crisis. On Monday, four rockets landed in Hermel, 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. |
Anne Barnard reported from Hermel; Hania Mourtada from Beirut, Lebanon; and David Jolly from Paris. | Anne Barnard reported from Hermel; Hania Mourtada from Beirut, Lebanon; and David Jolly from Paris. Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Hermel. |