A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden car has targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint near the Syrian border, killing and wounding several soldiers.

Syrian troops captured a famed Crusader castle near the border with Lebanon today, running the two-starred government flag high above the stone ramparts of the 12th century fortress after days of intense clashes with rebel fighters.

Syrian government and opposition delegates said talks to end their country’s civil war have reached an impasse, with the United States and Russia backing the rival camps and trading accusations over the deadlock.

At least nine people were killed and nine others injured when a Syrian warplane struck targets near the border with Lebanon, Lebanon’s state-run news agency said today.