The Islamic State posted video of a captive Lebanese soldier pleading for the release of Islamist inmates from Roumieh Prison. The Al Nusrah Front threatened to kill captive Lebanese soldiers if Hezbollah does not withdraw from fighting in Qalamoun in Syria. A Hezbollah official warned that the Islamic State intends to take over Lebanon as […]
The Lebanese branch of the Al Nusrah Front said it has handed over five kidnapped Lebanese troops who belong to the Sunni sect, as the group’s fight “is not against the Sunnis.” Authorities arrested six Syrians and eight Lebanese in Zahle who are suspected of forging documents for terrorist groups, and confiscated official seals for […]
Lebanon’s Roumieh prison a hotbed for terrorists
Hundreds of US-donated anti-tank guided missiles, rifles, mortars, and other weapons have been delivered to Lebanon after it requested the equipment to help fight terrorists in the country, and more heavy weaponry is expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai called for the creation of a UN military force to stop […]
Fear grips towns bordering Arsal
Arrest warrants were issued for Islamic State commander Imad Jomaa, who was detained in Arsal on Aug. 2, and Ahmad Jomaa, another militant; authorities are continuing to interrogate 18 other suspects who were arrested during the Arsal clashes. Imad Jomaa is charged with crimes including attempting to set up an Islamic emirate in Arsal. Military […]
Dragged into Syrian conflict, Druze seek unity
Security forces intercepted a vehicle loaded with RPGs in Hermel and detained the driver and a passenger; and arrested 32 Syrians in refugee camps in north and east Lebanon who did not have proper identification. Syrian airstrikes targeted border areas near Al-Rawhe outside Arsal. The Arab Tawhid Party announced it was closing its offices in […]
The Muslim Scholars Committee asked the government to appoint a “neutral” mediator in negotiations for the release of kidnapped Lebanese security forces being held by Islamist militants; MSC chief Sheikh Malek Jadida said the abductors had “humanitarian” demands and that they also called for the withdrawal of Hezbollah from Syria. Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia […]
Berri: Lebanon in need of swift military assistance
Imad Jomaa, an Islamist commander captured on Aug. 2 in Arsal, reportedly confessed that he had been tasked with coordinating the takeover of Arsal and other Lebanese towns in the Bekaa Valley and the north so that an Islamic emirate could be established in the area with Abdullah Azzam Brigades spokesman Sirajeddine Zureiqat as its […]
Al Nusrah may resort to force to free Roumieh inmates
The Al Nusrah Front is using hostages from Lebanon’s security forces in its anti-Hezbollah propaganda. Al Nusrah, an official branch of al Qaeda, is attempting to pressure Hezbollah into withdrawing its forces from Syria.
The Muslim Scholars Committee delivered video to the government that shows nine kidnapped Lebanese troops being held captive by Islamists. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front also released lists of names of those held captive. Security forces arrested three Syrians in the Bekaa Valley for posting the logo of an extremist group in […]
The Muslim Scholars Committee suspended its mediation efforts for the release of 29 Lebanese security forces kidnapped by the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State, citing the new role of an unnamed foreign actor in the negotiations. Abu Talal, a Syrian from Qusair who has represented the Islamic State in the negotiations, has taken […]
Abou Taymour al Dandashi, a Salafist militia leader who was arrested for his role in Tripoli clashes, was released from Roumieh Prison; judicial sources claimed he was not a militia leader. Government officials are refusing to divulge details of the negotiations for the release of security forces held captive by Islamist militants, but some say […]
Muslim Scholars Committee (MSC) negotiators reported that the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State have said they will release the remaining 29 kidnapped Lebanese security forces if Hezbollah withdraws all of its fighters from Syria. Another report claimed that the Qataris have become involved in the negotiations, and that Al Nusrah and the Islamic […]
The interrogation of Islamist commander Imad Jomaa was postponed after his lawyer submitted documents alleging that his confession and those of 42 other suspects arrested during recent clashes in Arsal were coerced. Sheikh Amama of the Muslim Scholars Committee said he decided to collaborate with Sister Agnes-Mariam of the Cross after she arranged the repatriation […]
Mother Agnes: The efficient mediator who draws controversy
Sheikh Adnan Amama of the Muslim Scholars Committee said the Islamist militants still holding Lebanese security forces captive have issued a list of their demands; he said the government has asked that the details of the demands be kept from the media. Amama said the Islamic State holds 11 soldiers and a corpse, and the […]
Two Lebanese security forces were released by their Al Nusrah Front captors after negotiations by the Muslim Scholars Committee. In return, the militants reportedly were assured that the “security grip on Arsal Syrian refugee camps will be eased.” A negotiator, Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujeiri a.k.a. Abu Taqiyeh, said there may be more kidnapped security personnel as […]
Living in Australia, longing for jihad
The US issued a travel warning for Lebanon noting that the Islamic State, the Al Nusrah Front, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, and Hezbollah all operate there, and stressed the increasing frequency of suicide bombings. A Free Syrian Army fighter was arrested in Sidon. Assad regime forces warned residents of the border town of Tfail to […]
Security forces arrested a 19-year-old Lebanese man in Baalbek suspected of operating the Twitter account of the so-called “Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade.” Sheikh Adnana Amama, of the Muslim Scholars Committee delegation negotiating with the Islamists who kidnapped Lebanese security forces in Arsal, said the committee may withdraw from its mission given Lebanon’s lack of […]
Lebanon – Three hotspots could erupt into violence
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 […]
A group of Lebanese clerics with links to Islamist groups mediated a ceasefire between the Lebanese military and fighters from the Islamic Front and the Al Nusrah Front in Arsal, which let as many as 2,000 Islamist fighters escape with over captive 35 Lebanese security forces.
Lebanon – Arsali and refugee relations tense
The Islamic State released a video of seven captured Lebanese soldiers; negotiations for the release of some 35 kidnapped security forces are said to be ongoing. The military court has received the cases of captured Islamist commander Imad Jomaa and nine other militants arrested during recent clashes in Arsal.
The head of Lebanese armed forces said the Islamic State had tried to set up a bridgehead in Arsal from which to attack Shiite areas and engulf the country in sectarian strife. French sources said that Saudi Arabian red tape has delayed the shipment of arms from France to Lebanon. The British ambassador conveyed the […]