Lebanon soldier kills Syrian at checkpoint: Army

Lebanon soldier kills Syrian at checkpoint: Army

BEIRUT - A Syrian man was killed and two others wounded when Lebanese troops opened fire on their minibus on Wednesday after it failed to stop at a checkpoint, the army said.

"At 4:45am (0145 GMT), the driver of a minibus carrying Syrian passengers... failed to comply with orders from the Lebanese army to stop at a checkpoint in the Arsal region, forcing the soldiers to open fire," the army said in a statement.

"One passenger was killed and two others were lightly injured," the statement said, adding that the bus had continued on despite the shooting but the driver later turned himself in.

Lebanon's National News Agency said the Syrian killed was a member of the Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist rebel group fighting in Syria.

Arsal is a majority Sunni Muslim region that is broadly supportive of the Syrian uprising.

The area has been targeted several times by Syrian government forces who say Syrian rebels have been operating rear-bases on the Lebanese side of the border.

Earlier this year, three soldiers were killed by gunmen at a checkpoint in the region.

The Syrian conflict has divided Lebanon, with Sunnis largely backing the uprising and Shiites supporting the regime.

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