Syria’s air force has again bombed Lebanese territory, this time hitting the Lebanese town of Arsal. The air strike marks the second time in 24 hours that forces loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime have targeted what they claim are areas used by Syrian opposition forces in Lebanon.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday slammed attacks on Lebanon’s border towns. Western Syria has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks, with both government troops and opposition forces looking to secure a critical road linking Homs and Damascus that is used by both sides to transfer supplies and weapons.

Fighting in the region is beginning to routinely spill over into Lebanon, with Sunnis operating in Lebanon assisting the rebels and the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah fighting on behalf of the regime. The dynamic is particularly problematic for Hezbollah, which – in order to justify its massive arsenal of weapons, which exists beyond the control of the Lebanese government – relies on its image as a Lebanese organization protecting Lebanese sovereignty. Attacks on Lebanese territory by the Syrian army, to which Hezbollah is allied, threaten to erode that image.

[Photo: Euronews / YouTube]