Prisoner Swap Takes Place between Jaafar Clan, Syrian Opposition at Border

A prisoner exchange took place on Tuesday between the Jaafar clan and Syrian opposition members.

The opposition members handed over two Lebanese nationals, Khodr Husssein Khalil Jaafar and Abdullah al-Zein, who were kidnapped in the border town of Zeta, which is located inside Syrian territory.

They were abducted about a week ago.

For its part, the Jaafar clan handed over 39 Syrians, including two opposition members, it had kidnapped in retaliation to the Syrian abduction.

The exchange took place at Zeta, which is a Syrian town that is heavily populated by Lebanese nationals.

An Nahar daily reported on Thursday that the swap came as a result of the intervention of the Zeta clans, which handled negotiations between the Lebanese and Syrian sides.

The negotiations were motivated by the unique ties between the border areas and the need to “realize the consequences of the armed clashes that have taken placed between the two sides in the past,” it added.

The National News Agency reported on Wednesday that the two sides agreed to halt such practices.