Senior official of al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front told Anatolia news agency that the decision to execute Lebanese soldier Ali al-Bazzal has been halted, following the appeals of his relatives, the mediation of the Sunni scholars and “the surrender of the Lebanese army before the demands of the Sunnis.”
Al-Nusra Fornt had threatened on Sunday to execute al-Bazzal if the Lebanese army does not suspend its operations against Islamist militants in the northern city of Tripoli.
Several soldiers and policemen were abducted by the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State group militants at the end of clashes with the army in August.
Three of the abducted soldiers have since been executed, a few were released, and the rest remain held by the gunmen.
The militants have made several demands for their release, including the release of Islamist inmates from the Roumieh prison.
Several civilians and troops were killed and around 20 soldiers and civilians were injured in armed clashes in the old markets of the northern city of Tripoli that erupted Friday evening and continued until Sunday morning.