Lebanon army fires on Syria aircraft for 'first time'
The Lebanese army used its air defence systems against
Syrian helicopters on Monday after they carried out a raid inside Lebanese
territory, a military source told AFP.
It was the first time the Lebanese army has responded to
Syrian attacks on its territory, which have multiplied as the conflict in its
eastern neighbour has intensified, the source said.
"In accordance with the orders of the army command,
anti-aircraft guns were fired in the direction of Syrian helicopters that
bombed Khirbet Dawud near Arsal," in the area near the Syrian border, the
source told AFP.
"It is the first time that the Lebanese army has used
its anti-aircraft defence systems" to respond to Syrian raids, the source
added.
Lebanese officials reported no casualties from the Syrian
raid. It was not clear whether the retaliatory fire had hit the Syrian
aircraft.
Defence Minister Fayez Ghosn said the Lebanese army was
acting on the government's orders.
The army "has clear and sufficient orders from the
political authorities to respond" to such attacks, and "what happened
today falls within that context".
"We respond to attacks that reach Lebanese
territory," Ghosn said, adding that "since the outbreak of events in
Syria, the Lebanese army, deployed along the borders, has been in full capacity
and readiness to respond to anything that might affect the unity of the
country".
The Lebanese army has in the past threatened to respond to
cross-border fire from Syria but has not previously done so.
On June 12, it issued a rare warning to the Syrian
government, saying it would respond "immediately" to any new
"violation" after a raid by the army on the Arsal area, a hub of
support for the rebels, which is also home to tens of thousands of Syrian
refugees.
But it had not previously carried out its threat, despite
repeated spillovers from the fighting over the border.
The anti-aircraft fire came a day after Lebanese President
Michel Sleiman announced that Saudi Arabia had pledged $3 billion for the
under-equipped army to buy French weapons.
Saudi Arabia is a key supporter of the Syrian uprising.
Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah militia, which controls much of the border region
apart from the mainly Sunni Arsal district, is a leading ally of the Syrian
regime.
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