5 Members of Hujeiri, Fleiti Families Abducted near Arsal
Five people who hail from the Bekaa border town of Arsal were kidnapped on Saturday, after al-Nusra Front published the video of the execution of Lebanese soldier Mohammed Hamiyeh.
According to the National News Agency, the five are members of the al-Hujeiri and Fleiti families.
“The families of the abducted soldiers kidnapped five people from the al-Hujeiri and Fleiti families on the road to northern Bekaa,” Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported.
Meanwhile, Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said “five to seven members of al-Hujeiri and Fleiti families were kidnapped on the road to Arsal.”
"The gunmen fled to an unknown destination,” VDL (100.5) added.
Elsewhere, Abdullah Mohammed Sultan, who hails from Arsal, was briefly kidnapped in the Ouzai area near Beirut.
The abductions occurred after al-Nusra Front published a video showing one of its members shooting dead the captive soldier Hamiyeh.
Captive Lebanese soldier Ali al-Bazzal was also present in the execution video and he appealed to his family to do something or else he is going to be executed.
This is not the first time the families of the abducted soldiers kidnap people from Arsal. Marwan al-Hujeiri was freed after a four-day kidnap ordeal by gunmen from al-Masri family, who abducted him to press for the release of captive soldier Ali Zeid al-Masri.
On Thursday, Hassan Fleiti and Abdullah al-Breidi were freed by the al-Masri family after being also abducted.
The soldiers were among around 35 troops and policemen who were taken hostage by Nusra and Islamic State militants during deadly clashes with the Lebanese army in Arsal in early August.
Nusra later released seven security personnel while the IS has for its part executed two captive troops.
Z.A.
Y.R.
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