Lebanese forces fire on Syrian warplanes
BEIRUT -- The Lebanese army fired Monday on Syrian government aircraft that officials in Beirut said had launched missiles at the town of Arsal near the border between the two nations, according to a report by the Lebanese National News Agency.
The news agency said the antiaircraft fire came after a Syrian raid struck the Khirbet Dawood area outside the Sunni-dominated town, one of many such attacks on what is considered a vital supply point for rebels fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. No casualties were reported.
Although such raids have been condemned by Beirut in the past, the response Monday marked the first military response by a Lebanese government wary of the sectarian conflict engulfing its neighbor.
“[The Syrian aircraft] were probably targeting sites for the rebels, but the attack was random so as to plant terror and panic in the hearts of civilians,” said Abu Jum’ah, a rebel fighter on the Lebanese-Syrian border. He threatened a “painful response” in the coming days.
Arsal, 16 miles from the Syrian border, serves as a temporary home to thousands of refugees crossing from Syria to escape hostilities in the mountainous Qalamoon region.
The area is the target of a wide-scale military campaign by the Syrian army supported by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Bulos is a special correspondent.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
