Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — After two years of civil war, Syria has launched air
strikes of suspected rebel positions in neighboring Lebanon.

Lebanon said Syrian Air Force planes struck the Lebanese border town of
Arsal on March 18. Lebanon’s official National News Agency said the Syrian
Army joined in artillery strikes in and around Arsal, five kilometers inside
Lebanon.

“Syrian warplanes bombed the outskirts of the towns of Khirbet Younin
and Wadi Al Khayl in Arsal’s barren mountains,” the National News Agency said.

This marked the first direct air strikes of Lebanon by the regime of
Syrian President Bashar Assad. On March 14, Damascus, said to have launched an air strike in September 2012, warned that it would retaliate against what was termed the infiltration of large numbers of Syrian rebels from Lebanon.

Officials said the Lebanese military did not respond to the air or
artillery strikes. They said the military, under the control of President
Michel Suleiman, has been directed not to intervene in the war in
neighboring Syria.

“The Army is capable of overcoming all obstacles,” Chief of Staff Gen.
Jean Kahwaji said.

Kahwaji, in an interview with Lebanon’s pro-Syrian A-Safir daily on
March 19, said the Syrian attack marked the worst crisis since 2005. The
chief of staff, who pledged military measures over the next few days, urged
political leaders to refrain from statements that anger Syria or its allies.

“Over the past 24 hours, Lebanon has experienced the most dangerous
security conditions in eight years,” Kahwaji said. “What happened shows
clearly where sectarian incitement can lead to, politicians and religious
figures should shoulder their responsibility and set limits on anyone who
provokes strife inside the homeland.”

Lebanese sources said Syrian aircraft fired at least four missiles
against suspected Syrian rebel strongholds just inside Lebanon. They said
the targets included two buildings believed used by the rebels in Wadi Al
Khayl. No injuries were reported.

The Syrian Army began the attack on Lebanon with artillery operations on
late March 17. The sources said Syrian artillery targeted at least five
border towns as the Beirut government failed to convene to discuss the
border violence.

“The government is leaving the Lebanese people in a state of insecurity
and living in a deteriorating situation,” Lebanese Forces leader Samir
Geagea, deemed an opponent of Syria, said.

The United States, which provided nearly $1 billion to build Beirut’s
military and security forces, confirmed the Syrian air strike on Lebanon.
The State Department called the attack a “significant escalation” but did
not say whether it would urge Lebanon to retaliate.

We can confirm that regime jets and helicopters did fire rockets into
northern Lebanon, impacting Wadi Al Khayl, near the border town of Arsal,”
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “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.”

  Arsal, Bashar Assad, Gen. Jean Kahwaji, Michel Suleiman, Syrian Air Force launches first direct strike on rebels inside Lebanon, Wadi Al Khayl