Lebanon rejects interference in Syria by any party

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour on Wednesday reiterated that his country rejects interference in the neighboring Syrian by any party. In remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio, Mansour said "the State of Lebanon officially rejects any interference in Syria by any party." He stressed that his country has never abandoned the policy of dissociation concerning the Syrian crisis. Mansour noted that Lebanon has been witnessing for more than two years the smuggling of arms and the infiltration of fighters across the border, stressing that "this doesn't mean that the state approves such things." Earlier in the day, Lebanese local media reported that a Syrian helicopter fired Wednesday three missiles near Lebanon's border town of Arsal, leaving at least one person wounded. According to the report, the Syrian raids targeted the center of the town, as the majority Sunni residents in the town back the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In a rare warning against the Syrian government, the Lebanese army announced Wednesday that it will immediately respond to any further attacks by the Syrian army. "Army units deployed in the (Arsal) area took the necessary defensive measures to respond immediately to any similar violations," said a statement by the Lebanese army. The border town of Arsal has become a key conduit for refugees and wounded people fleeing the ongoing war in Syria. But Syrian security officials say the town has also served as a passageway for fighters and arms flowing into Syria.