REPORT: Relatives of Lebanese hostages vow escalatory steps against Turks in Beirut

The  relatives of the Lebanese hostages in Syria's Aazaz staged on Tuesday morning a sit-in outside the Turkish embassy in the Rabieh region.

The spokeswoman for the relatives, Hajja Hayat Awali told LBCI that escalatory steps will be adopted against Turkish citizens in Lebanon.


The protesters then attempted to storm the Turkish cultural center in Down Town Beirut, but were prevented by Security Forces who had deployed in the premises for fears of any escalatory moves.

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 22nd of May. Only two have so far been released.

Their families have vowed to continue their movements until all their loved ones have returned home "safe and sound".

They accuse Ankara of sponsoring the kidnapping and the Lebanese government of inaptness in this regard.

On Friday the 9th of August, gunmen intercepted a Turkish Airlines' bus at the Cocodi Bridge in Beirut and kidnapped two crew members, a pilot and a co-pilot. The bus carrying the crew members was heading from the Beirut International Airport towards a hotel in Ain El-Mrayseh.          

While well-informed sources linked the abduction to the case of the Lebanese hostages held in Aazaz, the relatives of the Aazaz hostages denied being involved in the operation.            

The incident triggered a chain of reactions mainly from the Turkish side, the most prominent being the call launched by the Turkish foreign ministry on its nationals to leave Lebanon.



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