Syrian Troops Release Lebanese Man Kidnapped in Arsal as March 14 Holds Govt. Responsible
Syrian security forces infiltrated the outskirts of the eastern town of Arsal on Wednesday and kidnapped a Lebanese man identified as Mohammed Khaled al-Hujairi.
He was soon released by the Syrian forces and handed over to the Lebanese army, his cousin Mohammed Hassan al-Hujairi revealed to Agence France Presse.
The house of Arsal municipal chief Ali Mohammed al-Hujairi was also burned in the area of al-Halima near the Lebanese-Syrian border.
He later told MTV: "They wanted to send a political message by burning my house because I back the Syrian revolution."
Last week, the Lebanese army deployed in the area following deadly clashes between armed residents of Arsal and the Syrian army after it set up an ambush for a number of villagers.
One resident was killed in the incident.
The March 14 General Secretariat later condemned the incident, holding the Lebanese government responsible for the Syrian troops’ “cowardly act.”
“Arsal has paid dearly in its defense of Lebanon under Israeli occuparion and today it is leading the way in aiding Syrian families that have fled the killing machine of the Assad regime,” it continued in a statement.
“The Syrian regime has repeatedly violated Lebanese territory in the North and East as the Lebanese government has chosen to distance itself from defending citizens,” it stated.
“The government has even allowed those who guarantee its survival to blatantly interfere in the Syrian crisis,” said the March 14 general secretariat.
It revealed that it will carry out “the necessary contacts with all concerned sides in order to thwart, through all democratic means, the violations against Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
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