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Sunday, May 15, 2011

IDF opens fire as mass numbers infiltrate from Syria; four said killed













Residents in Druze border town of Majdal Shams say 400-1,000 Palestinian refugees managed to cross border fence from Syria; Lebanese woman reportedly wounded as Lebanon forces open fire on protesters trying to cross border from Maroun al-Ras.

Israel Defense Forces troops on Sunday opened fire on masses of infiltrators trying to breach Israel's northern border with Syria, as Nakba Day demonstrations erupted across the region.

At least four people were reportedly killed as scores of Palestinian refugees spilled into the town of Majdal Shams, which straddles Israel's border with Syria. The Magen David Adom medical services said dozens had been wounded.

The number of infiltrators was not yet clear, but some Majdal Shams residents said 400-500 Palestinian refugees had crossed the border; others said nearly 1,000 people had managed to infiltrate, while some reported seeing only dozens cross over.

"The way it was reported to me, they broke through the fence," Dolan Abu Salah, the mayor of Majdal Shams, told Army Radio.

Thousands of people also gathered in the Lebanese town of Maroun a-Ras, close to the Israeli border, to mark Nakba Day. While most protesters stood on a hilltop overlooking the frontier, dozens tried to approach the security fence.

Lebanese Army troops opened fire on the protesters trying to infiltrate. Israel's Channel 2 reported that a Lebanese woman was wounded in the incident, though it was not yet clear whether she was among those attempting to cross into Israel.

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