We have a saying here in the United States: "What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas."
In the Middle East, what happens in Syria DOESN"T STAY in Syria. Just ask the Lebanese.
Violence from the conflict between troops loyal to President Bashar al Assad and anti-government militias has now spilled over into neighboring Lebanon. Three people were killed July 10 when mortar fire hit several border villages in northern Lebanon.
It was the second fatal attack in three days; three people were killed in similar shelling July 7.
A Lebanese friend told me today that Lebanon and Syria are like one country. It's been that way for years. What happens in one affects the other. The Lebanese are hoping to avoid being dragged into the conflict, but as the fighting intensifies inside Syria, their involvement may be unavoidable.
The Lebanese Army has transferred troops to secure the border area, but their presence may do little to stop Syrian government mortars from threatening Lebanese villages--especially if anti-Assad rebels are hiding in them.
This video shows a recent atttack in the Syrian city of Daraa. Women and children can be heard screaming as an amateur photographer captures the incident on camera. It is followed by scenes of the damage and injured in Wadi Kahled, Lebanon.