Lebanese, Syrian leaders respond to clash on northern border.
By JPOST.COM STAFFbashar assad 311(photo credit: AP)
Lebanese and Syrian leaders responded sharply in the aftermath of the cross-border fire incident between Israeli and Lebanese troops on Tuesday.Syrian President Bashar Assad told Lebanese President Michel Suleiman that Syria would stand behind Lebanon and provide any necessary support after the cross-border fire incident on Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported.RELATED:'At least four Lebanese killed in border clashes'Photo gallery: Unrest on the borderThe IDF fire "proves once again that Israel is constantly working to destabilize security in Lebanon and the region," SANA quoted Assad as saying.Suleiman sounded a strongly defiant note in reaction to Tuesday's event, which left three Lebanese soldiers and one Lebanese journalist dead.Suleiman reportedly exclaimed that his country would "stand up to Israel's violation of UN Resolution 1701 - whatever the cost." The resolution led to a cease-fire which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006.Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri also castigated IDF fire across the Israeli-Lebanese border on Tuesday.Israel's actions were a "violation of Lebanese sovereignty and demands ... the United Nations and the international community [must]bear their responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop its aggression," Hariri said in a statement quoted by AFP.JTA contributed to this report.
