The United States has deplored what it described as "the repeated shelling of Lebanese territory by Syrian artillery" and has called on the Syrian regime to respect the sovereignty of its neighbors. "These incidents constitute a flagrant disregard on the part of the Assad regime for both Lebanese sovereignty and United Nations Security Council resolutions," Director of the Press Office at the US State Department Patrick Ventrell said, adding that the US strongly condemns the shelling resulting in the injury and death of several Lebanese citizens. The Lebanese Army's leadership had announced in a statement on its website that starting from midnight on July 19th and on irregular intervals, there had been an exchange of fire on the Lebanese-Syrian border at Wadi Khaled between Syrian forces and armed elements, as well as the falling of a number of rockets on Lebanese lands causing injuries among citizens. As a result, army units disseminated in the area have conducted extensive patrols and mobile barriers, as it has been fired upon and responded with appropriate weaponry