PARIS (Reuters) - France on Monday condemned a Syrian air raid into Lebanon, saying President Bashar al-Assad's forces had seriously violated the sovereignty of neighboring Lebanon.

"The air raid carried out by the armed forces of the Syrian regime in Lebanese territory, in the Ersal area, constitutes a new and serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty," foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said in a statement.

France, which has troops in Lebanon as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force, is pushing its EU partners to lift an arms embargo on Syrian rebels.

(Reporting By Pravin Char)