DAMASCUS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Syria's foreign ministry denied Tuesday the "false and absolutely untrue" reports about a Syrian air strike on Lebanese territories.
In a statement carried by state-run SANA news agency, the ministry said "some countries espousing anti-Syria policies via arming and financing terrorist groups circulated the false news."
The ministry's remarks came one day after several media outlets reported that Syria carried out an airstrike against rebel positions near the country's borders with Lebanon.
While denying the news as "absolutely baseless," the ministry reiterated Syria's respect of Lebanon's sovereignty and "its keenness on the security and stability of brotherly Lebanon."
According to Lebanon's National New Agency, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's air force hit Monday two locations near Lebanese eastern town of Arsal.
Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the Syrian government's jets and helicopters "did fire rockets into northern Lebanon."
On Thursday, Damascus announced that its forces would fire into Lebanon if "terrorist gangs" continued to infiltrate Syria.
The cross-border tension comes as many Sunni groups in the Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli were accused of recruiting jihadists to join the fight against the Syrian troops.
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