Akkar-Syria Road Reopened, Residents Vow to Block it Again if Nuaimi Not Released

The international highway linking northern Lebanon to Syria was reopened on Monday after residents blocked it to protest the arrest of Samer Ahmed al-Nuaimi by Syrian authorities, the National News Agency reported.

The residents of Tal Andeh town in Akkar erected on Sunday a tent to press the Lebanese authorities to exert more efforts to release al-Nuaimi.

“If the efforts to release him fail then we will block the road again,” stressed Ahmed al-Nuaimi, the father of the kidnapped.

He called on officials to exert strenuous efforts to free his son.

According to NNA, al-Nuaimi was detained by Syrian authorities in September.

On Sunday, an army unit intervened in a bid to reopen the road but was faced by the residents' rejection.

The reasons behind the arrest are still not clear.