Frustration Grows among Relatives of Hostages after Hizbullah Fighter Freed in Swap
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The families of the Lebanese soldiers and policemen taken captive by jihadists four months ago warned the authorities they would take escalatory measures starting Friday morning to press the authorities to negotiate faster.
The relatives warned they could block all of Beirut's entrances, a day after Hizbullah managed to secure the release of one of its fighters who had been in the custody of Syrian groups in the mountains of the Qalamun region near Lebanon's border.
Imad Ayyad was released in exchange for two gunmen who were in Hizbullah custody, the party announced on Tuesday.
Frustration among the families of the soldiers and police, who were taken hostage when militants overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August, grew after learning about Ayyad's release in a prisoner swap.
“Let no one blame us for our moves,” said one of the protesters at Beirut's Riad al-Solh square.
“Hizbullah is not stronger than the state for being able to set free its captive,” he said.
The relatives of the captured men have surrounded Prime Minister Tammam Salam's office, the Grand Serail, with protest tents, demanding the government negotiate faster.
“There are no results on the ground. We are not seeing serious efforts by the government,” said another relative.
A female protester addressed Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, pleading him to bring home the captives the same way he did with the Hizbullah hostage.
Last Monday, the relatives of the soldiers burned tires and blocked several roads after they said Islamic State group extremists threatened to kill their sons.
The jihadists from the IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front have already executed three of the hostages.
G.K.
M.T.
26 November 2014, 11:42
77
every day these filth terrorists do not release our soldiers send 50 000 Syrian refugees back to Syria
26 November 2014, 11:42
108
I am sure HA negotiated from position of strength, LOL. It released Nusra captives and Nusra released HA captive. However, nasrallah wants the government to negotiate with Nusra from a position of strength by refusing their demands in their totality and saying we don't negotiate with terrorists.
26 November 2014, 12:14
118
Yes, HA did negotiate from a position of strength, they captured fighters to make that exchange.
I dont see why naharnet or the captives families would link these cases together, they are completely different. First Ayyad was not in nusra or IS custody, he was captured by a group belonging to the FSA. That group didnt behave like nusra/ISIS, didnt behead people, and didnt make unacceptable request like freeing convicted terrorists from lebanese prisons (+syrian prisons to make the whole deal even more complicated)
another important point is the father's reaction when they called him 2 days after the kidnapping to blackmail him. he said "my son died two days ago" and hung up. denying them any leverage on him. in comparison, all the agitation that the relatives of the hostages are doing is very harmful, it gives more value to the hostages and makes da3esh/nusra cling on them even more.
26 November 2014, 19:12
24
LOL mooowaten.... when it suits you FSA or al nusra are the same.... but here it is different! FSA are no more terrorists! LOL
you do not need to justify hezbi actions as they are the champs in double standards... the gvt cannot negociate with terrorists but hezbollah can.... bravo ya patriot anta!
26 November 2014, 11:54
118
The captured Soldiers are being represented by a Qatari from Doha. The Prime Minister doesn't want the resistance in the negotiations.
26 November 2014, 11:57
106
Mystic, be honest and admit that there is an enormous contradiction here when Nasrallah said that the government should only negotiate from a position of strength and not accept swapping prisoners.
26 November 2014, 12:16
118
2 fighters against 1 fighter is a very good deal. the kind of deal you get when you are in a position of strength.
26 November 2014, 12:23
106
Actors: Islamic State, Islamic Republic, Hezbollah, Daesh, Nusrah.
Movie Titles: (
Horror: Night of Living Fanatics
Love Story: Gone With The Beards
Comedy: Monty Python's Lives of Hassan and Abu Bakr
Science Fiction: Planet of the Apes: King Hassan against Abu Bakr Al Godzilla
Documentary: Believes and Hallucinations of the Mental Fanatics
26 November 2014, 13:02
74
you beat me to it mowaten!!!! I was thinking exactly the same thing that he is trying to be funny! We always think alike on all issues and I just hope readers don't think we are the same poster.
26 November 2014, 13:24
84
Drama: Barbarians In The House
Documentary: Rise of the Neanderthals
Cartoon: Despicable Us
Love Story: When Hassan met Abu Bakr
26 November 2014, 12:30
68
you got to speak with these scum terrorists with their own language
if they kill 1 soldiers the family should kill 10 000 Syrians
if they do not release them in a fixed date the families with our so called government should send back to Syria 50 000 refugees every week till they release them
and now with sub zero temps these scum will take anydeal or they will freeze to death
26 November 2014, 12:49
104
The best swap is for these fanatics is to keep killing each other until dooms day - then and only then we will be able to live a normal life.
26 November 2014, 13:03
72
Actually going from swap unacceptable to allegedly two for one is far from a position of power, the position of power from nasralla coming after months of screams of swap unacceptable and after some of his fighters were captured.
26 November 2014, 13:38
85
This is the only language Hizbollaat understands. #jihadistLogic
26 November 2014, 13:41
126
This article adds more weight as to why Lebanon needs a military coup.
HA have shown how to make an exchange without all the hoopla the so called Gov of Lebanon goes through each & every time it needs to make serious decisions.
Why does the Lebanese Gov , require Qatar, Ksa, Turkey or anyone else to bargain on their behalf? simple because Lebanon is weak, always has been weak & will forever be weak....HA clearly showed this by doing what needed to be done.
Military Rule & ASAP !
26 November 2014, 14:03
116
whyask, Just go back a short time in history & you will see Lebanon has always been weak & never takes a stand in the best interest of its people.
In the early 70's the leaders were split on how to tackle the Palestinian problem until they became too powerful for the Lebanese & was too late.
Sects split along with the army.....If decisions are made by powerful leaders immediately, the threat stops before it manifests.
Lebanon's leaders are clearly split & more worried who to please than making the right decision there & now.
Time for a coup & let the LAF rule with an iron fist, then tell me if these scum will dare mess with LAF etc.
26 November 2014, 19:16
23
"In the early 70's the leaders were split on how to tackle the Palestinian problem until they became too powerful for the Lebanese & was too late."
LOL and he defends hezbollah? LOL hezbollah are the same thing as the palestinians: they became too powerful and it is too late! LOL
but hezbollah being stronger than the state and not respecting it like the palestinians did is ok.... pityful boy
26 November 2014, 16:41
35
For fifteen years the case of the Lebanese detainees in Syria was article one on every Aounist agenda complete with clear and concise accusations of the Syrian regime, but since 2005 after Aoun accepted to defect to the Syrian side when Pakradoni and Lahoud Jr's visited him in Paris with Bashar's lucrative deal, nothing, except a few words here and there around the 13th of October.
