BICOM

Syrian government fighter jets struck two targets five kilometres into neighbouring Lebanon yesterday, raising fears that Syria’s civil war could engulf neighbouring countries.

According to Lebanon’s Daily Star, Syrian warplanes dropped two bombs on the country’s eastern border areas of Kherbit Youneen and Wadi al-Khayl, near the town of Arsal. Material damage, but no casualties or injuries were reported. US Secretary of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland verified that the attacks had taken place later in the day, saying “We can confirm what you are seeing in the press, that regime jets and helicopters did fire rockets into northern Lebanon.” Expressing the State Department’s displeasure, she added, “This constitutes a significant escalation in the violations of Lebanese sovereignty that the Syrian regime has been guilty of. These kinds of violations of sovereignty are absolutely unacceptable.” The French foreign ministry was also quick to issue a condemnation.

The Syrian government had last week sent a letter to Lebanon’s foreign ministry, warning that “concentrations of armed gangs” were amassing in Lebanon ready to cross the border into Syria and that although Syrian government forces were exercising self-restraint, “This will not last indefinitely.” The Independent says that yesterday’s air strike was a warning from Syria’s President Assad to Lebanon to prevent fighters and arms crossing the border.

The Syrian air strike comes at a time when over a million Syrian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, placing a considerable strain on the resources of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey in particular. Skirmishes from the fighting in Syria have also reached the border with Israel with Syrian opposition forces seizing a military intelligence base near the Golan Heights earlier this week. Meanwhile, stray fire has landed on Israeli territory on several occasions over the past several months.