Sleiman: Involvement in Syria crisis jeopardizing Lebanon coexistence

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Friday said that the burden of being involved in the Syrian crisis is "passing the limits," warning that it is starting to jeopardize the coexistence of the Lebanese people. "The military and security leaders ought to act in that respect to protect villages and Lebanese towns along borders with Syria," Sleiman said in a statement carried by the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA). He added that the protection of civilians in villages was a priority as he paid condolences on the victims of the rocket attacks launched from Syria on Lebanese border villages in the Bekaa valley and North Lebanon. At least seven people were killed and 15 were wounded when a rocket fired from the Syrian side hit the Lebanese border town of Arsal today. The attack targeted the house of Ahmed Hujairi in Arsal, a largely Sunni area sympathetic to the Syrian opposition seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Other Syrian raids were executed along the borders as well. "Between 10:45 and 12:00, areas in Ras Baalbek valley, Khwakh and Bouwaida in Hermel, Masharii Al-Qaa and Arsal were targeted by 20 rockets and mortar shells originating from the Syrian side. This has led to the fall of a number of casualties among citizens in the town of Arsal, in addition to serious property damage," the Lebanese army said in a statement. A day earlier, the northern border town of Hermel, known for its support for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, was the subject of a car bomb attack that left four people dead.