Al Nusra Front confirms execution of LAF soldier Mohammad Hamieh

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The Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, has killed Lebanese soldier Mohammad Hamieh it had been holding in captivity, Lebanese security sources and a statement on Twitter said on Friday.

The statement, distributed by an account affiliated with the group, said the soldier had become "the first victim of the intransigence of the Lebanese army".

This comes after al-Nusra Front accused the Lebanese army and Hezbollah of fabricating today’s incident in Arsal and kidnapping civilians, in order to foil the negotiations.

Earlier in the day, a commander of Al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front told Anatolia News Agency: "We do not have crippling demands for the release of kidnapped Lebanese troops."

"Our demands do not include the release of detainees held in Syrian regime prisons," he added.

At least 30 Internal Security Forces members and Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers remain missing, presumably kidnapped by the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front militants, in the wake of deadly clashes that erupted in the northeastern border town of Arsal on August 01.

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

The detention of Imad Jomaa, the leader of the Fajr al-Islam Brigade, had caused security tension in the border town of Arsal, claiming the lives of 20 soldiers and leaving 86 others injured.

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 Muslim Scholars Association had launched an initiative to ensure the return of the kidnapped soldiers and served as a mediator between the gunmen and the Lebanese authorities.

Later on, the Association declared that it will suspend all activities to make way for other sides to deploy efforts in this regard.

The gunmen had issued a list of demands, which include the release of several Islamist inmates from the infamous Roumieh prison. A demand the interior minister had rejected.

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.