Syria Targets Wadi Khaled with Shelling again, 3 Killed

Heavy shelling rattled the northern border region of Wadi Khaled overnight as gunmen opened fire along the Lebanese-Syrian border at several illegal crossing points, media reports said on Tuesday.

The Lebanese Red Cross announced that the shelling killed 2 Syrian nationals and a Lebanese.

Another Lebanese citizen was wounded in the shelling and was transferred to Rahhal hospital in Akkar.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) reported that the Syrian national is called Mohammed Hussein Abbas.

The radio station said that Lebanese Walid Moussa was killed by a heart attack after his town was shelled.

The Lebanese army issued a statement later confirming the incident.

“The army conducted patrols in the region and set up check points where it came under fire, which prompted the army to fire back at the sources of gunfire,” the statement said.

For its part, SANA state-run Syrian news agency said that Syrian troops foiled attempts by "armed terrorist groups" to infiltrate the border from Lebanon during the night.

SANA cited a source in central Homs province -- which neighbors Lebanon -- as saying that "the terrorist groups shot at Syrian border posts, in the areas of Jisr al-Qamar and Jisr Abu Suweid, as well as the Harmush, Armuta, Arida, Noura and Dalia crossings," as they sought to infiltrate the border.

Syrian troops foiled the attempt, the agency said, adding that the "terrorist groups... fled back into Lebanon."

According to As Safir newspaper, the area witnessed an exchange of fire between gunmen who targeted Syrian checkpoints along the border which prompted the Syrian army to respond to the sources of fire by shelling the area.

The shells hit al-Muqaibla and al-Hishe towns in Wadi Khaled, An Nahar newspaper reported.

The daily pointed out that the Lebanese army deployed later along the border.

Several mayors in the area told As Safir newspaper that the continuous security incidents along the border are causing distress among the residents.

Several witnesses said that dozens of families fled their homes.

The incident comes after the Lebanese cabinet decided to fortify the army’s presence in the area, tasking it to control the border and different crossings between the two countries.

The decision was taken days after the Syrian army bombarded several towns in Wadi Khaled causing the death of two Lebanese and one Syrian and wounding five others.

Incidents along the Lebanese-Syrian border intensified during the past few weeks with several officials voicing their fear that the revolt in Syria which kicked off in mid-March 2011 might spill into the country.