Americas

Americas

U.S. denounces shelling of Lebanese territory by Syrian artillery

11 July 2012 04:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United States on Tuesday blasted the repeated shelling of Lebanese territory by Syrian artillery, calling on the Syrian government to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all of its neighbors, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The United States strongly condemns the repeated shelling of Lebanese territory by Syrian artillery resulting in the injury and death of several Lebanese citizens," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters at a regular news briefing.

"These incidents constitute a flagrant disregard on the part of the Assad regime for both Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Security Council resolutions," he added, referring to the Syrian government headed by President Bashar al-Assad.

Since the outbreak of rebellion against the rule of al-Assad in March 2011, the Lebanese-Syrian border has witnessed a number of shootings and incursions.

Two RPG shells launched from the Syrian side hit Lebanese town of Heesha in Wady Khaled on Saturday, killing two people and wounding two others. The victims were all Syrian refugees.

Three people, one Lebanese and two Syrians, were killed on Tuesday when mortars hit villages in north Lebanon as armed rebels attacked the Syrian border troops from the Lebanese side.

"The Syrian regime must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all of its neighbors," Ventrell said, urging all parties to "exercise restraint" and show respect for Lebanon’s security and stability.

"The U.S. remains committed to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon," he added.