Firefight in Baalbek: Gang leader killed, hostage rescued by Lebanese army

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Hussein Raad thought Jourd Nahle in Baalbek would be a safe haven for him and his gang. They kidnapped Mourtada Yassin and demanded $50,000 from his family for his release.

The Lebanese army’s intelligence directorate successfully tracked the gang and the hostage. That night, an intelligence team, accompanied by army forces, went to Jourd Nahle to free the captive.

Raad and his gang refused to surrender, firing RPGs and bullets from the rocks. Army forces returned fire and stormed the cave and surrounding area.

During the firefight, Raad, the gang’s leader, was killed. Ahmed Raid was wounded, four other gang members were arrested, and weapons, ammunition, and the vehicle used in the kidnapping were seized. Most importantly, the hostage was freed and returned safely to his family.

Raad’s security record shows his involvement in at least three previous kidnappings of Lebanese and non-Lebanese individuals, as well as transporting counterfeit money, carrying out shootings, and committing assaults.

The Jourd Nahle operation was notable because a firefight broke out after the gang failed to move the hostage, a rare occurrence. 

Previously, kidnappers often relied on Syrian border villages to transfer victims into Syria, releasing them at the border after extortion and security pressure. 

Today, however, the eastern border’s political and security landscape has changed, forcing gangs into direct confrontations with the army and intelligence forces, who quickly neutralize or arrest those involved.