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, […]
Iron Dome would not cope with Hezbollah missiles: report
The Al Nusrah Front threatened Sunnis that they will “pay the price” if they support the Lebanese Army in its fight against “your brothers, the mujahideen.” Al Nusrah and the Islamic State are said to have told Qatari mediators that they want $5 million and the release of 400 Islamist inmates from Lebanese jails in […]
Lebanon’s Muslim officials sign petition against Christian exodus
Arrest warrants were issued for six Syrians and one Lebanese who are linked to detained Islamic State commander Imad Jomaa. An Israeli drone detonated a spy device that a Hezbollah operative was trying to dismantle in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah explosives expert and wounding at least one more. The day after the government rejected […]
A closer look at recent developments in a number of countries should dispel any illusions that the Islamic State’s aspirations and activities are only regional.
ISIS said to want inmates freed to help create Lebanon base
Islamic State militants kidnapped and then executed a man in Arsal, a week after beheading a kidnapped Lebanese soldier. The military arrested a bombing suspect in Tripoli. Families of 23 Lebanese troops held captive by the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State protested in Beirut. Graffiti containing Islamic State threats against Christians is appearing […]
What does the Lebanese Army need to confront the jihadist threat?
Arrest warrants were issued for six Syrians and a Lebanese man who are linked to detained Islamic State commander Imad Jomaa, who heads the IS’ Fajr al-Islam Brigade. Two Syrians from Idlib were arrested in Nabatieh for possession of Islamic State headbands and posters. The Army engaged in an hourlong clash with Syrian militants last […]
Fighting on Golan border puts Israel on the spot
A Kuwaiti news outlet claimed that Hezbollah had detained three Al Nusrah Front commanders in Qalamoun who could be exchanged for kidnapped Lebanese security forces; Hezbollah denied knowledge of the report. Another report said Al Nusrah plans to release kidnapped Sunni, Christian, and Druze troops but will hang on to captive Shiites. Al Nusrah released […]
Al Nusrah Front warns Lebanon’s Christians against following Aoun
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 […]