Al-Nusra Front was established in al-Qalamoun in July 2013, after al-Qusair fell in the hands of the Syrian regime, backed by Hezbollah.
Al-Nusra fighters began withdrawing from the regions of western Qalamoun due to offensives by Hezbollah fighters and the Syrian army.
After the arrest of one of its leaders Imad Jomaa by the Lebanese army on August 01, 2014, the front attacked the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces’ posts in Arsal, before the army regained control over its sites within two days.
Consequently, al-Nusra kidnapped a number of army soldiers and security forces, beheaded three of them, before releasing the others, after one and a half years in detention through Qatari mediation that included the payment of an amount of USD 25 million to the group’s leader Abou Malek al-Talle.
For more details, watch the full report in the video above