Lebanese attack Syrians heading to vote at their embassy

Angry Lebanese protesters have pelted vehicles carrying Syrian expatriates and refugees to their embassy in Beirut to vote with stones and sticks

BEIRUT -- Groups of angry Lebanese pelted buses and cars carrying Syrians expatriates and refugees heading to the Syrian Embassy in Beirut with stones and sticks on Thursday, outraged over what they perceive as an organized vote for President Bashar Assad. Meanwhile, some Syrian refugees reported being pressured to cast their ballot with threats of physical violence or confiscation of documentation that could lead to loss of refugee status, the U.N. refugee agency said. Assad is running for a fourth seven-year term — facing symbolic competition from two other candidates — in a vote all but guarantees to bring him back as president. The Syrian opposition, as well as Western and some Arab countries see it as a sham designed to give Assad a new mandate with a veneer of legitimacy. It also comes in violation of U.N. resolutions that call for a new constitution before a presidential vote. The in-country vote is expected next week.