Fatal clashes along Syria-Lebanon border after Syrian soldiers killed

More than a dozen people have been killed since clashes erupted along the Syrian-Lebanese border after three Syrian soldiers were kidnapped and killed by Lebanon's Iran-allied Hezbollah movement.

At least 10 people have been killed in Syria since fighting broke out on the country's border with Lebanon on Sunday evening, Syrian state television reported on Monday.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said that seven people were killed in Lebanon and at least 52 were injured.

Syria's Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that Hezbollah militiamen ambushed and kidnapped three Syrian soldiers near Zeita Dam, in western Homs province, before taking them into Lebanese territory and killing them, according to the SANA news agency.

The ministry vowed to "take all necessary measures following this dangerous escalation by Hezbollah militia."

Syria's Ministry of Defence dispatched more rocket launchers and drones to the border area in order to target Hezbollah positions inside Lebanese territory, a source close to the Syrian army told dpa.

Syrian forces have destroyed a Hezbollah ammunition depot in the border area, the source added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that Syrian forces have been shelling Hezbollah sites along the border.

The Lebanese army said it has handed over the bodies of the three soldiers to Syria following intensive contacts between the two sides.

Lebanese villages and towns have been subjected to shelling from Syrian territory, the Lebanese army said, which prompted its military units to respond with appropriate weapons.

The army said it has been in contact with the Syrian authorities to maintain security and stability along the border.

Hezbollah has denied involvement in the clashes at the border or inside Syria, Lebanon's NNA news agency reported.

Hezbollah was a key supporter of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for more than a decade after the 2011 uprising against his regime and until he was toppled in December.