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Syrian troops shell Lebanese village - August 31, 2012 - At least 25 shells fired by Syrian troops during the night struck a Lebanese Christian village on the northern border, wounding one person and causing damage, officials said. The border village of Minjez in the Akkar region was hit by at least 25 shells fired between midnight and 1:30 am on Friday (22:30 GMT Thursday), Toni Antonios, an elected official from the Christian community, told AFP, adding that a house was damaged. A security official said a member of the security services was wounded by shrapnel. "We have been the target for months of stray bullets and shelling which has displaced families who no longer dare go home. This is unacceptable," Antonios said. "If they (Syrian troops) want to hunt down armed men, they must do it in their own land, not on our territory," he said, denying that Syrian rebels were in the village.

Our Lady of the Castle Monastery Target of Syria Attacks - September 2, 2012 - "A large number of shells coming from the Syrian side landed on Lebanese border villages and towns adjacent to the Al-Kabir River. The town of Menjez where the Christian Maronite monastery Our Lady of the Castle is located witnessed the most intense shelling resulting in the displacement of many residents who headed for safer areas," NNA reported.

Mikati sends message to Syria over shelling - September 04, 2012 - At least 25 shells fired by the Syrian army struck the mainly Christian village of Menjez Friday, wounding one person and damaging homes. Hundreds of residents of Menjez fled their homes in search of sanctuary, a scene repeated over the next few days in other Akkar villages that witnessed severe shelling.

The Syrian minister described as “political comedy” calls from countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council for Lebanon to stay away from the crisis in Syria. “If the Qataris and Saudis do not want to take the crisis to Lebanon, they should stop sending arms and militants and funding terrorists there,” he said. In July, President Michel Sleiman accused Syria of violating Lebanese territory after a house in a village in the east of the country was hit by a shell, with several more falling along the northern border.

“The Lebanese Army is trying to deploy in the region, but violations of the border towns by the Syrian side are incessant; that is why we need the protection of international forces,” Akkar MP Nidal Tohme told The Daily Star. Tohme said that intense shelling of north Lebanon border villages continued over the weekend, even after Sleiman received assurances from Syrian officials that those responsible would be held accountable. He also hinted that he believes the targeting of Christian villages is a deliberate strategy on the part of Syria. “The timing of the targeting of such towns raises many questions as to whether this is the Syrian regime’s response to President Sleiman’s recent national stances.”

Similarly, Future bloc MP Riad Rahhal lambasted the Syrian violations, accusing the Syrian regime of sowing strife in the region. Rahhal told The Daily Star that the shelling brings to mind the Civil War, when Christians in certain regions were forced to abandon their towns. “Other towns have also been subjected to Syrian shelling, and we cannot simply keep quiet about such violations. The era of Syrian tutelage is over.”