Man killed by Syrian gunfire in Wadi Khaled

Syrian border patrol agents shot and killed a young man from Majdal in Wadi Khaled, northeast Lebanon, on Friday, our northern Lebanon correspondent reports.

Ali Adel al-Ali was driving his backhoe within Lebanese territory when he was fatally shot. The Lebanese-Syrian border in this area is undefined, with villages from both countries overlapping.

Lebanese security forces arrived at the scene, recovered the vehicle, and launched an investigation. The incident has angered local residents, who are demanding answers from authorities.

The killing came the same day Lebanon and Syria announced a defense agreement in Saudi Arabia to counter security threats along their border. Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa met his Syrian counterpart Mourhaf Abou Qasra in Jeddah on Thursday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to discuss security cooperation, according to Saudi state media.

In mid-March, clashes at the Lebanese-Syrian border killed over 10 people. The two countries share a 330-kilometer border, much of it unmarked and used for smuggling.