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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Airstrike near Lebanese border kills Syrian refugees |
| 2013-08-05 |
| Nine displaced Syrian nationals have were killed Saturday in a airstrike near the Arsal border region in the Beka’a valley, according to reports. A further nine were injured during the attacks and are being treated at the General Hospital and other medical facilities in Baalbek, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. There were conflicting reports as to whether the airstrikes took place on Lebanese or Syrian territory. The Hezbollah-run news outlet Al-Manar said that any such attacks had taken place on Syrian soil, claiming, “Nine dead and 10 wounded were transferred from Syria to Lebanon.” The mayor of Arsal, Ali Al-Hajiry, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrian Air Force had carried out two raids. The first had targeted Khubra Dawud, a village to the east of Arsal. The second, Hajiry says, took place in Jardiyah—part of the Arsal municipality—killing six displaced Syrians. A Lebanese security official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Syrian warplanes have targeted Lebanese territory before. When four missiles—fired by two Syrian jets—struck Arsal last September, Lebanese president Michel Suleiman ordered an investigation into the incident. Arsal—both a village and a municipality—is home to many refugees that have fled from towns and cities in neighboring war-torn Syria. Many are thought to have arrived from Al-Qusayr, where Lebanese Hezbollah militias spearheaded operations against the former rebel stronghold. |
| Posted by:Steve White |