Association of Muslim Scholars holds ‘positive’ meetings over Lebanese captives -sources

Sources close to the Association of Muslim Scholars hailed on Saturday the meetings that were held in the last two days between the association and the official and security leaderships over the Lebanese captives.      

"The meetings that were held by the association regarding the soldiers who were kidnapped in Arsal, were positive,” the same sources said.      

20 soldiers have been killed and at least 30 other ISF and LAF soldiers remain missing in the wake of deadly clashes that erupted in the northeastern border town of Arsal on August 1.      

Clashes flared up when Syrian gunmen deployed across the region after the Lebanese Armed Forces arrested Syrian national Imad Ahmad Jomaa at a checkpoint.       

On Thursday (August 07), a military source stated that a truce in Arsal appeared to be holding and the situation in the border town was quiet.      

The sources said LAF troops were combing the area in eastern Lebanon to see if gunmen were withdrawing under the terms of the truce.       

Lebanese security officials say the fighters include members of al Qaeda's Syria branch, the Nusra Front, and an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State, which has seized swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.