Tension prevails in North Bekaa following various kidnapping incidents

Tension is still prevailing in the region of North Bekaa on the backdrop of kidnapping citizen Hussein Kamel Jaafar from the outskirts of the town of Arsal and moving him to an unknown destination.            

Sources told LBCI that Hussein was transporting diesel oil on the Lebanese-Syrian borders and was kidnapped and taken into the Syrian territories.                  

In response to his kidnap, members from the Al-Jaafar clan abducted 8 citizens from Arsal and Baalbek.                

This as, Lebanese Armed Forces reinforced their deployment and set checkpoints in the vicinity of Al-Assi Bridge and Al-Labweh Square.                 

On Sunday overnight, one of the kidnapped citizen, Malek Houjairy, aka “Malek Zahwi” was released.                    

Meanwhile, the Islamic Group (Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya) said that bullet shots were fired at an ambulance of the Islamic Association while transporting a Syrian injured person to the Rayam hospital in Baalbek.                      

This incident led to the injury of the medic Abdel Salam Houjairy, along with the Syrian national and one of his relatives as well as the abduction of the driver Hassan Ezzeddine.           

The Islamic Group added that a number of citizens from the Al-Jaafar clan surrounded the hospital to prevent the transportation of the injured persons, calling on the Lebanese state to interfere in order to protect them and release the hostages.