Rockets fired from Syria hit Hermel

Four rockets launched Monday from across the border in war-torn Syria hit Hermel -- a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon, said a security source who was unable to confirm any casualties. "Four rockets launched from inside Syrian territory hit separate areas of the town of Hermel," which lies some 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border with Syria, said the Lebanese source. "There have been no reports of casualties," he told AFP on condition of anonymity. Hermel and other border areas of Lebanon have suffered frequent shellings since Syria's uprising turned into a bloody civil war. The town is located in the eastern Bekaa valley, a stronghold of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, which backs Damascus in its bid to crush rebel forces. Hezbollah has since last May been openly involved in Syria's war, sending in elite fighters to support the loyalist army on the battlefield. Until 2005, Lebanon had been dominated politically and militarily by Syria for 30 years. It is still sharply divided into pro- and anti-Damascus camps, and Syria's war has compounded Lebanon's sectarian and political divisions. Source: AFP