US condemns Syrian shelling of northern Lebanon

The United States on Tuesday deplored Syrian shelling of northern Lebanon, urging the regime of President Bashar Assad to respect the sovereignty of its neighbors. The Lebanese army began sending troop reinforcements to the border with Syria after Syrian troops and armed men traded gunfire overnight in the area and shells fell inside Lebanon, wounding civilians. The official Syrian news agency SANA confirmed the violence. "The United States strongly condemns the shelling of Lebanese territory by Syrian artillery," said State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell, expressing Washington's condolences to the families of those killed. "These incidents constitute a disregard from the Assad regime for both Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Security Council resolutions," Ventrell added. "The Syrian regime must respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all its neighbors." France on Tuesday also condemned the Syrian shelling and said it backed Lebanese plans to boost its military presence along the border.