1 Lebanese soldiers kill one Syrian near border

A Syrian national was killed and two others wounded on Thursday by Lebanese soldiers as they refused to stop at a checkpoint in Lebanon's border town of Arsal. The Lebanese army said in a statement that "three Syrian nationals riding a motorcycle tried to escape after refusing the repeated soldiers' demand to stop at the checkpoint in Wadi Hmayed in Arsal." The soldiers were forced to shoot at the Syrians which resulted in "the death of one and the injury of the two others," it added. The military police is investigating the incident. The National News Agency (NNA) had earlier reported that the three Syrians were armed members of the al-Qaida linked al-Nusra Front. Along the 30-km border with Syria, Arsal has seen weapon smuggling since war broke out in Syria three years ago. The town also hosts more than 80,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom are supporters of the rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar Assad.