Lebanese hostages families say will forcefully shut down Syrian businesses in Lebanon

          
Families of the Lebanese pilgrims held hostage in Syria’s Aazaz held a demonstration on Friday whereby the forcefully shut down all shops run by Syrian nationals in the Beirut Southern Suburb’s Hay el-Sellom area.          

“Lebanese officials appear to be unable to solve the issue of the hostages. With their failure, they have insulted us, but we will no longer stand idly by, instead we will make sure that no Syrian works in our areas until our loved one are released,” Adham Zgheib, spokesman of the protesters said.               

Zgheib added that all the families will be escalating their movements, calling on all Syrians present in [their] area to pack up and leave, until all the hostages are securely released.  

This as, the state run National News Agency quoted Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case of the men abducted in May last year, saying that the closure of the shops in Hay el-Sellom is a first step in the protest aimed at putting more pressure on the involved parties to release the pilgrims. Eleven  Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 20th of May. Only two have so far been released.