Zureiqat to Troops Families: Hizbullah Caused Your Sons Captivity, Battle Hasn't Begun

Sirajeddine Zureiqat, a so-called spokesman of the Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades, warned Sunday that “the battle has not yet started in Lebanon,” telling the families of the abducted Lebanese security personnel that Hizbullah is to blame for their sons' captivity.

“You must know that had it not been for Hizbullah and its foolish acts, your sons would not have been taken captive. Who other than Hizbullah has implicated Lebanon in the battle?" the fugitive Lebanese cleric said addressing the families on his Twitter account.

"Who has turned your sons into fuel for the war of the Iranian party (Hizbullah) against the Sunni community in Syria and Lebanon?” Zureiqat added.

He warned that “the battle has not yet started in Lebanon,” calling on the troops' relatives not to let their sons be "a shield for Iran's party, which is offering them as sacrifices to satisfy (Iran's) Vali-ye faqih (supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei)."

Zureiqat also accused the Lebanese army of becoming “a guardian of the Jews' (Israel) border and of Hizbullah's security zones.”

“It has turned into a murderer of children and women, with U.S. weapons, Iranian allegiance and Saudi money,” the militant added, referring to the latest shipment of U.S. arms that the military has received and Saudi Arabia's donations to the army.

On August 2, jihadists from the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Qaida breakaway group Islamic State overran the Bekaa border town of Arsal after clashes erupted with the army over the arrest of Imad Jomaa, a militant leader.

The fighting ended five days later but the two groups kidnapped around 36 Lebanese soldiers and security forces from the town.

Five of them were released on Saturday.

Earlier on Sunday, al-Nusra Front threatened to “kill the Shiite Lebanese soldiers” it had kidnapped should Hizbullah intervene in battles in Syria's Qalamun region.

The group said in a statement that it will wage a battle to “liberate” Qalamun in a few days.

Hizbullah has been taking part in the fighting in Syria for over a year now, arguing that its participation is necessary to protect Lebanon from extremist groups.

The Syrian regime forces, backed by Hizbullah, seized control of most of Qalamun in April.

Y.R.