TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Syrian fighter jets have launched an aerial strike on a Lebanese border town that is purported to be the hiding place of Syrian anti-government rebels, according to the Syrian state media.
The town of Arsal was extensively bombed because it shares a common border with the town of Qalamon in Syria - home to many members of the Syrian armed opposition.
The Lebanese military has also said that on Monday, three rockets were fired from within Syria’s border and disintegrated over a number of towns in North Bekaa, but no immediate report on damages has surfaced.
According to a KUNA report, Syria’s militant opposition has been active in Arsal since August, kidnapping 28 Lebanese soldiers and security officials.
Meanwhile, AFP reported from the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York that the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, will depart for his first visit to Damascus on Tuesday to try and restart the peace negotiations yet again, after two UN-mediated peace negotiations broke down.
De Mistura and his deputy Ezzedine Ramzy is set to begin the first round of negotiations with Syrian officials, after officially taking over the mission this month, according to a UN statement. Al-Watan - a government affiliated newspaper - reported that the envoys will begin a three-day negotiation on the prospects of resolution of the conflict, which has raged on since March 2011.
Also in Damascus, de Mistura is slated to meet with officials of the opposition group, which has been approved by the ruling regime, reported Al-Watan.
However, it remains to be seen whether a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is also planned.
After the visit to Syria, the envoys are scheduled to travel the region to meet with the regional power brokers in the region in October, said the UN statement.
ANTARA | HEPPY RATNA