Lebanon caught in Syrian crisis

M ISSILES fired by Syrian warplanes hit Lebanese territory yesterday in one of the most serious crossborder violations since Syria’s crisis began 18 months ago, security officials in Beirut and Lebanese state media said.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four missiles fired by two Syrian jets hit a rugged and remote area on the edge of the Lebanese border town of Arsal. No casualties were reported.

Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi held talks with the Turkish foreign minister on the Syrian crisis before a meeting of regional heavyweights seeking ways to end the country’s civil war. The grouping brings together three supporters of the Syrian rebellion – Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt – with the Syrian regime’s top regional ally, Iran.

Arriving in the Egyptian capital yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said he was coming with a message of peace. Cairo was trying to persuade Iran to drop its support of Assad in exchange for help in easing Tehran’s regional isolation, officials said last week.

The meeting in Cairo comes a day after the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the elite unit had advisers in Lebanon and Syria, the clearest indication of Iran’s direct assistance to Assad and the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ordered an investigation into the border shelling yesterday. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the warplanes fired three missiles that fell on the outskirts of Arsal about 500m from the border between the two countries. The Syrian forces were believed to be chasing rebels in the area.

Arsal is a predominantly Sunni Muslim town, like the majority of Syria’s opposition that is trying to oust President Bashar Assad from power. Assad belongs to the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.

Several Lebanese, including a journalist, have been killed and dozens have been wounded by fire from the Syrian side.

Also yesterday, Syrian troops shelled rebel-held areas around the country including the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the Damascus neighbourhood of Hajar Aswad, activists said.

In Geneva, an independent UN panel confirmed that an increasing number of “foreign elements”, including Islamic extremists, were now operating in Syria. It said some of these forces were joining armed antigovernment groups, while others were operating on their own. Activists said more than 23 000 have been killed.

The government says the revolt is driven by foreigners and terrorists. Rebels say Syrians were seeking increased freedom from the regime. The UN panel has accused both government forces and rebels of war crimes. – AP