The Lebanese Army has launched a major operation to free two kidnapped Syrian children, the latest episode of which resulted on Saturday in the wounding of a suspect and several detainees amid strong protests from the population of the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country, who have denounced the passivity of the authorities on the case.
The valley is home to the largest concentration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and its residents have often denounced the marginalization they feel towards the government in Beirut, now immersed in one of the worst economic crises in the recent history of the country.
The suspect, identified by ‘L’Orient le Jour’ as Ali Chadia, is receiving medical attention in a hospital in Baalbek after being shot by the army during an ambush by the military.
Chadia is in critical condition as a result of the shooting, while a second Syrian suspect was wounded during the same operation and several wanted persons were arrested.
A few days ago, the Lebanese Army began a series of raids to find the young Mouhanad and Ghaleb, aged 13 and 15 respectively, kidnapped in the Bekaa Valley on their way back from school in late 2022.
The father of the two Syrian teenagers urgently asked this week the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, to order an operation to free the minors, amid strong popular protests.
During a recent protest, the children’s uncle, Mohammad Mcheik, claimed that his nephews’ kidnappers called from a foreign phone number, demanded a ransom of $350,000 (about 330,000 euros) and threatened to sell their hostages’ organs.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
