Syria balks infiltration attempt by militants on Lebanon border

The Syrian military forces have thwarted an infiltration attempt by the foreign-backed militants to enter the country through its border with the neighboring Lebanon.

The incident occurred on Tuesday when government forces opened fire on militants trying to enter Syria across the northwestern city of Talkalakh in Homs Governorate, SANA reported.

Security sources said a number of terrorists were killed and injured in the fire exchange while the rest fled into the Lebanese territories.

In a separate incident, a unit of the Syrian Armed Forces confronted an terrorist group’s attack on a military checkpoint in a suburb of Homs, killing and injuring the assailants.

Near Damascus, Syrian Army forces managed to eliminate a number of militants and also destroyed a hideout used by the armed groups. Media reports, meanwhile, reported renewed fighting near a major highway just south of Damascus.

Further south, the army clashed with militants in the suburbs of Douma, killing a number of them.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.