The Islamic State said that Abou al-Hassan al-Filastini a.k.a. Ahmed Taha, its emir for Qalamoun, was killed while fighting the Lebanese Army in Arsal on Aug. 4. Taha was said to have earlier joined the Abdullah Azzam Brigades. The Army arrested three Syrians and three Lebanese in Ras Baalbek yesterday, and confiscated “109 detonators, reels, igniters and fuses, in addition to six bags containing chemical substance” from them. The continuing captivity of over 20 Lebanese troops held hostage by the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front is sparking unrest in the Bekaa Valley.
