Syria shells Wadi Khaled: 3 killed, 9 wounded

Villagers inspect a damaged car in Wadi Khaled town after shelling by Syrian forces Beirut – Georges Chahine Skirmishes between the Free Syrian Army and troops from the Syrian regime escalated Saturday morning, while Lebanese villages and farms in Wadi Khaled were shelled, killing three and injuring nine.  Three women were killed and nine people wounded in northern Lebanon on Saturday by rocket fire from Syrian territory and gun battles, a Lebanese security official told AFP. “Nadia al-Owaichi, 19, was killed in the early morning when a rocket landed on her house in the border region of Wadi Khaled,” the security source said, adding that “the rocket came from Syrian territory.” “Several hours after, two Bedouin women were killed when shells landed on their tents in the same area,” according to the source. A local official said clashes had broken out at dawn between the Syrian army and gunmen on the Lebanese side of the border. Security sources said to Arabstoday that Syrian forces have suddenly turned  the cannon of one  of its tanks at dawn towards Lebanese villages located on the demarcation line on the northern border and north-eastern area of ??Wadi Khaled, after an exchange of heavy fire followed by missiles fired from the Syrian side. It was reported that  more than twenty shells were fired successively, until 3am, killing the young woman, Nadia Alauichi (19) and wounding two children: Ahmed and Mustafa Almekahal. A house belonging to a man named Berri Shehadeh was also hit and his two daughters were wounded. A girl called Abeer Ali Almekahal was also injured by shrapnel in al-Kalkhawhichm while the Rajm Essa mosque was also hit. The victims were transported to Saydet el-Salam hospital in Kobayat. The violence has led to a state of panic and fear, displacing several residents in the area who have fled the border. Lebanon demanded the Syrian ambassador to Beirut, Ali Abdel Karim, call for a stop to attacks on Lebanese border villages and help the Lebanese army in case of any military action. On Monday, a rocket fired from Lebanon wounded two Syrian border police, triggering retaliatory gunfire from Syrian forces. The July 2 incident was the first time Lebanon's General Security agency reported firing from Lebanon into Syrian territory. Syrian troops have carried out a number of deadly cross-border raids into Lebanon since the outbreak of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule in March last year, sparking fears of a spillover of the conflict. The Wadi Khaled region, about 185km (115 miles) from Beirut, encompasses areas of southern Syria and northern Lebanon and has been the site of frequent illegal border crossings.