2 Held for Trying to Smuggle Gasoline, Routers to Arsal Militants

The army announced Sunday the arrest of a Lebanese man and a Syrian woman over two separate attempts to smuggle fuel and an electronic device to extremist militants positioned in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

“Lebanese citizen Karim Abdul Hamid Ezzeddine was arrested today at the Wadi Hmeid checkpoint in Arsal for driving a Mercedes truck without legal documents and trying to smuggle a quantity of gasoline in it to the militants who are present in the outskirts,” the army said in a statement.

Separately, troops at the same checkpoint arrested Syrian national Moumena Khaled al-Abed on Sunday for attempting to smuggle two Wi-Fi Internet routers to the armed groups.

The woman has confessed that her brother is a member of the jihadist Islamic State group, the army said.

Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has served as a key conduit for refugees, militants and wounded people fleeing the strife-torn country.

Jihadists from al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State are entrenched in the town's outskirts. In August 2014, they stormed the town and engaged in bloody battles with the Lebanese army following the arrest of a senior IS militant.

The jihadists withdrew after a ceasefire, but took with them several dozen hostages from the army and police four of whom have since been executed.

Y.R.