BEIRUT/BEKAA: Two Lebanese farmers were shot and wounded by Syrian gunfire in the border village of Masharih Al-Qaa early Friday, security sources said.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ahmad Hussein Katoum and his relative, Amjad Abdel Karim Katoum, had been working their lands in the north Bekaa village, when they were shot in the back around 7:00 a.m.

However, there were conflicting reports as to whether the men were wounded inside Lebanese or Syrian territory given that Masharih Al-Qaa shares common borders in Lebanon and Syria.

Masharih Al-Qaa is an agricultural plain where both Lebanese and Syrian territories overlap. Relatives from the same families often reside and move freely throughout the area.

The two Katoums were transported by a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance to Chtaura hospital, where medical staff described Ahmad’s condition as grave while Amjad was said to be in a stable condition.

There have been growing concerns that an 11-month-old crackdown by Syrian President Bashar Assad on protesters could spill over into Lebanon.