Lebanese Army chief Gen. Kahwagi said as many as 20 of the soldiers kidnapped by Islamists in Arsal are missing and possibly dead; 17 other security personnel were also taken captive. Former Free Syrian Army spokesman Ahmad al Qusair, the go-between in contacts of the Muslim Scholars Committee and the militants, said negotiations for the captives’ release are at an impasse as the militants’ demands will be too costly. Kahwagi said the outskirts of Arsal are still “relatively kidnapped” by the Islamists. The military prosecutor charged 43 jihadists, 33 of whom are at large, for terrorists acts during recent clashes with the Army in Arsal. Among those charged were Islamist commander Imad Jomaa, Al Nusrah Front spokesman Sirajeddine Zoraiqat, and other commanders from the Islamic State, Al Nusrah, and the Farouq Brigade. Up to 2,500 Syrian refugees are said to be stranded in the hills above Arsal. The head of the Tripoli jewelers’ union denied reports that Salafists had threatened against the sale of Christian crosses and icons; Tripoli’s mayor has banned alcohol ads, reportedly at the request of the Muslim Scholars Committee. The US said it would speed up military aid to Lebanon.
