Syrian forces kill 23 rebels in border raid

Damascus, July 15 (IANS) Syrian government forces Tuesday cracked down on illegal points along borders with Lebanon, killing 23 rebels, media reported.

The military forces attacked the Zamrani, Mira, Martiba, Hamra and Romiyat crossings along the eastern Lebanon Mountain Range that forms the majority of the border between Syria and Lebanon, Xinhua reported citing the pro-government al-Khabar TV.

It added that the attacks came in cooperation with the Lebanese army.

The report said the Syrian air force and artillery pounded rebels' convoys while they were fleeing from Syria toward Lebanon, killing 23 of them and injuring others who managed to make it into Lebanon's Ersal.

The Syrian government has for long complained of the rebels' infiltrations into Syria through its neighbours' territories.

The borders with Lebanon are crucial for the rebels fighting against the Syrian troops in central and southern Syria.

The Syrian army had succeeded over the past few months to dislodge the rebels from key areas there.