Syrian War Overtakes Lebanese Valley

WADI KHALED, Lebanon — On a small dirt road near the village of Knaisse Akkar, in the northern valley of Wadi Khaled, plumes of smoke can intermittently be seen on the horizon, rising from the Syrian city of Qusair. A few locals lean on the concrete wall talking while gazing into the distance.

In the early hours when shells occasionally make their way into the valley, piercing the morning calm, it is not uncommon to see young men on motorbikes heading up the same road to Knaisse Akkar, to return fire at an enemy that is in most likely out of range. Lebanese army presence can seem scarce on the ground.

Locals say there is no Free Syrian Army (FSA) activity in the valley, pointing instead to Arsal. Still, Lebanon’s Wadi Khaled is increasingly feeling the fallout as the conflict between the Syrian army backed by Hezbollah and the FSA escalates in Qusair.

More than 27,000 mainly Sunni Syrian refugees have made their way to Wadi Khaled since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war, supplementing a pre-existing population of some 40,000 that already was among Lebanon’s poorest. Local civilians and municipal officials in the area, where support for the Syrian opposition is strong, speak of a dearth in national and international aid contributions to meet the growing humanitarian crisis. A lack of confidence in the Lebanese army’s ability to defend the community against cross-border shelling is also palpable.