AKKAR/BEIRUT: Artillery shells from the Syrian side of the border crashed into several northern Lebanon towns Monday night, damaging houses, while several people were wounded by gunfire.

Over 20 shells fell along a 10-kilometer-long line that begins in Wadi Khaled and extends to the village of Debabiyeh in Akkar. The border villages of Mqayble and al-Hishah as well as the village of Nura were shelled.

In Nura, one man died of a heart attack caused by the shelling.

Residents of several Akkar villages fled their homes for the night, returning Tuesday morning to check on their belongings.

The Lebanese Army said Tuesday that a number of Lebanese were wounded as a result of the exchange of fire along the portion of Wadi Khaled bordering Syria.

“There were intermittent exchanges of fire on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Wadi Khaled area between Syrian forces and armed individuals, and a number of shells fell inside Lebanese territories, wounding citizens,” the Army said in a statement.

It added that Army units already deployed in the region intensified their patrols, erected checkpoints and responded in kind when fired upon.

“The same units continue to strengthen security measures so as to monitor and neutralize the source of fire,” the statement said.

On Saturday, two people, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed and 10 were wounded in north Lebanon as a result of shelling from the Syrian side of the border.

The Cabinet approved a plan Monday to boost the presence of the Lebanese Army along the northern border with Syria and highlighted the need to take all necessary measures to control border areas. The decision came in light of repeated Syrian incursions into Lebanese territory and shelling incidents.