1 Syrian Killed, Several Policemen Injured in Arsal Clash
A border clash between Lebanese security forces and a group of armed men crossing illegally into eastern Lebanon, left one dead, a security source and the National News Agency reported Thursday.
At 5:15 am a group of armed men drove their pick-up truck across the Syrian-Lebanese border near the town of Arsal in the eastern Bekaa valley, sparking a firefight, the official told Agence France Presse.
One of the Syrian men died from his wounds after being injured in the clash, while another 10 men were also wounded, the official added, noting that an unspecified number of the wounded were members of the Internal Security Forces.
NNA said the clash occurred after the ISF members at the Wadi Hmeid checkpoint in Arsal asked the gunmen to take the authorization of the police command before transferring an injured man to a hospital in Lebanon.
But those on board the truck refused to abide by the orders of the policemen and assaulted 12 of them, NNA said.
It added that the injured Syrian man later died in hospital.
The conflicting reports came after Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said the Lebanese army sent reinforcements to Arsal to search for supporters of the municipal chief who had assaulted the policemen in Wadi Hmeid.
The army took measures to arrest the supporters of Ali al-Hujairi after they attacked the ISF checkpoint, causing bruises to three of them, VDL added.
According to VDL (93.3), the policemen were injured in the fighting that pitted Arsal residents and members of the rebel Free Syrian Army against the security forces over the transfer of the injured Syrian opposition fighter to Lebanon.
Arsal residents have been aiding Syrian refugees crossing into Lebanon and the town has become an escape route for families fleeing the fighting in their country.
Several people have been killed and injured in Arsal in the past months after infiltration by Syrian troops and clashes.
over 11 years
Well said mustafa.
over 11 years
Cannot agree more. the issue with M8 is their double standards.
Israel is an enemy but not Syria even though Syria's aggression on Lebanon and the Lebanese are ten times more than the Israelis'.
HA is allowed to help Assad, but the Arsal inhabitant cannot help the FSA.
The Bahreini Shias are allowed to protests in the street but the Syrians are not allowed.
M8 is allowed to burn tires on the streets, block the downtown but M14 is not allowed.
over 11 years
Our military should also stop all arms smuggling from Syria's butcher Assad to Hizballa and cronies, there shouldn't be any double standards...enough is enough...
over 11 years
righhhht I forgot al mouaawameh...lol
over 11 years
FT im going to use mowaten's exact words in a comment further down: "you're trying to sound ironic FT, but you're speaking the truth despite yourself :)" (i just changed the name)
over 11 years
greatpierro, looks like you can't wait to burn tires in the street.. then go for it!concerning the incident on the border, a foreign militia, the FSA, attacked the police. This is not the first time it happens. If the PLO had repeatedly attacked the Lebanese Army in the 70s, many haters on this forum would have taken arms and ammunitions and started killing palestinians in the streets, as they did. Now, you say that Arsal inhabitants "have the right to help" a foreign Salafist militia to organise itself militarily in Lebanon and attack the Police, and Slash, great defender of Lebanese sovereignty, does not seem appropriate to say no, this cannot be tolerated. You guys, you can't wait to fuck up this country, welcoming foreign armies in Lebanon. Please, go to Homs if you hate Assad, but keep Lebanon out of the Syrian conflict.
it will be worsening until we close hermetically the border, in and out, wahhabies or farsis.we cannot accept that hizballah defend some villages on syrian land and say they are lebanese shia in syria...in that way we are giving permission to FSA to defend sunnis and syrians on lebanese land...that's the way it is, dont put ur head in sand,i'm sure that everybody knows what's happening..blabla bla is free and stupid.