Syria Shelling Northern Lebanon

Syrian military forces are firing shells into northern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (LNNA).

The Bani Sakher villager in the Al-Boqaya region of North Lebanon were hit, reports says, forcing a number of families to flee for other areas, including Wadi Khaled.

Reuters reported that Syrian shells fell upon the Lebanese village of al-Qaa, along the border on Wednesday evening, injuring one person. A local resident of al-Qaa told Reuters: More than five shells landed in the fields and in the village.”

Thousands of Syrians have crossed into Lebanon over the past year since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad prompted a brutal crackdown against civilians and opponents, leading to the deaths of at least 8,000 people and the displacement of untold thousands more.

Separately, NNA also reported that the Lebanese Red Cross transported five wounded Syrian nationals to a hospital in Tripoli. It is unclear if they were hurt in the shelling by Syrian forces or not.

It was reported last week that Syrian security and military officials had planted landmines along the borders with both Lebanon and Turkey to prevent the flood of refugees out of the country.