Lebanese soldiers gunned down

The attack on Lebanese military personnel at a checkpoint occurred in the country's northeast early on Tuesday, according to Lebanese security officials.

"The incident took place on the outskirts of Arsal and some residents pursued the vehicle that opened fire at the checkpoint before it entered Syria," municipal chief Ali al-Hujairi told news agency DPA.

"We believe someone is trying to create tension between the Lebanese army and the people of Arsal," he said.

Two of the soldiers died on site and the third in the hospital, according to a military source who spoke to the Reuters news agency on the condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The shooting on Tuesday came amid rising violence that has spilled over from the Syrian border.

On Sunday, two rockets struck a predominantly Hezbollah area of southern Beirut, injuring at least four people. Meanwhile, at least 25 people have died in ethnic clashes in Lebanon's second city of Tripoli over the past week.

The rising tensions have been linked to deep divisions within Lebanese society regarding the civil conflict in Syria, which recently entered its third year.

The Lebanon-based Shiite militant group Hezbollah has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's army, highlighted most recently by its activities in the continued battle for the strategic border town Qusair. The assault has further aggravated ethnic tensions with Lebanon's Sunni population, which supports the Syrian opposition.

kms/pfd (AFP, Reuters, dpa)