Syria Air Force Pounds Arsal, Wounded Transferred to Region's Hospitals

Syria's air force pounded a rural area near the eastern border town of Arsal for the second time in 24 hours on Thursday, officials said.

"I can confirm there was a raid," said Ahmad Fliti, deputy head of Arsal council.

LBCI television said: "A Syrian helicopter fired two missiles on Wadi al-Mayl in Arsal's barren mountain."

"Several ambulances traveled immediately to the affected area to transfer the wounded to clinics and hospitals," Fliti told Agence France Presse, adding that it was unclear how many people were hurt.

A security official confirmed reports of the attack, and a Red Cross official said the organization took four wounded away from the scene.

Meanwhile, al-Jazeera television reported that a woman was killed and five other people were wounded in the Syrian air raid on the outskirts of the town of Arsal.

The raid came a day after Syrian jets bombed Sarjal Ajram, the same area that was struck on Thursday.

"In the past, many Syrians have entered into Lebanon via this area. Many were refugees and others were injured being transported into Lebanon. Smugglers also use this route to enter and exit Syria," said Fliti.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Red Cross official said five Syrian wounded were transported into Lebanon on Thursday, after fierce clashes near Shiite villages in Qusayr just inside Syria.

After Wednesday's air strike, a statement from President Michel Suleiman said there was no military target in the area "and that there were no reasons or justifications for it."

The statement also referred to cross-border shelling of northern Lebanon, without specifying when.

Syrian warplanes bombarded northern Lebanon for the first time in the country's spiraling two-year conflict on March 18, a Lebanese army official and a U.S. official said, although Damascus denied responsibility.

Frequent cross-border shelling has also struck areas of northern and eastern Lebanon.

Syria's conflict has further entrenched deep divisions in the country.

While the March 14 opposition supports the rebels, the March 8 coalition backs Assad's regime.

Damascus has called on Lebanon to tighten its border controls, accusing the country of allowing rebels to smuggle in arms and fighters.