Five Rockets Hit Eastern Lebanon’s Hermel: Security

Five rockets landed in and around the eastern Lebanese town of Hermel, a Hezbollah stronghold, on Sunday, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Two rockets landed in the town of Hermel, in an area between the Mabarrat teaching association and the Masharia al-Qaa area, causing no casualties,” the source said.

“Another three rockets have landed now on the outskirts of Hermel,” he added.

It was not immediately clear whether the rockets were launched from inside Lebanon or from across the border in strife-torn Syria, said the source.

Hermel and other areas of eastern Lebanon, a bastion of the powerful Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, have been hit by several rocket attacks launched from Syria in recent months.

“People are scared. No one knows how the situation will develop. No one in the Hermel area feels relaxed,” said Ali Shamas, a resident of Hermel.

Tension has soared in Lebanon over the Syria conflict, after Hezbollah declared its support and sent troops to back President Bashar al-Assad’s bid to crush an anti-Damascus rebellion.

Though Lebanon is officially neutral in Syria’s war, the country is deeply divided into backers of the Assad regime and supporters of the rebels.

Damascus dominated Lebanon militarily and politically for nearly 30 years until 2005.

The latest rocket attack comes just three days after a car bombing in Hezbollah’s heartland in southern Beirut killed 27 people.

The toll was the highest since a Beirut car bomb killed former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others in February 2005.

Source : Ahram