A group of Swiss and Lebanese backcountry skiers were skiing on Mount Hermon (remember the 40 feet in 5 days days they got this winter?) on the border of Lebanon and Syrian when Syrian border patrol guards opened fire upon them. One Lebanese skier, Antoine Hajj, was shot in the shoulder.
“Once they came under fire from the Syrian army post, the skiers started screaming to them to hold fire.” – anonymous security source
Syrian authorities are saying the border guards mistook the skiers for smugglers and naturally opened fire. It is unclear if the skiers ever tread across the poorly demarcated Syrian/Lebanese border.
Once the skier was thoroughly shot, the Syrian guards crossed the border into Lebanon and advised the skiers that they were free to leave. It took the skiers 4 hours by foot to reach the nearest Lebanese security outpost.
Syria is not exactly somewhere you want to go skiing right now:
“According to UN estimates, more than 9,000 people have been killed in violence across Syria since protests demanding the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011.” – Reuters
The skier who shot was taken to the hospital in the town of Rashaya, Lebanon.
