The Lebanese Army announced on Sunday, August 30, that an Intelligence Directorate patrol had freed a kidnapped person in the town of Aamchit-Jbeil following surveillance and security monitoring operations, adding that seven people involved in the kidnapping were arrested.

The army said another patrol from the directorate subsequently raided a residential complex in the al-Bouar-Keserwan area and arrested 12 Syrians, including three women, for moving around Lebanese territory without legal documents.

According to the army, preliminary investigations showed that the detainees formed two gangs active in human smuggling, while the women were also involved in activities deemed contrary to public morals.

The army said the kidnapping resulted from financial disputes among the smugglers, noting that the competent judicial authorities had begun investigating the detainees.

The Lebanese announcement followed an earlier arrest campaign carried out by the Lebanese Army against several Syrian nationals in Lebanon on August 26.

In a statement, the army said one of its units operating along the Lebanese-Syrian border in the town of Aiha-Rashaya arrested a Syrian while he was attempting to smuggle a shipment of weapons into Lebanese territory.

The army said its forces seized the entire shipment, which contained a quantity of rocket-propelled munitions.

In a separate case, the Lebanese Army said another unit in the town of Shaath-Baalbek arrested ten Syrians over their involvement in an altercation inside one of the town’s camps.

The army did not explain the nature of the altercation or specify which camp it occurred in, stating only that it handed over the seized items and began investigating the detainees under the supervision of the competent judiciary.

Lebanese Army Arrests 19 Syrians

The Lebanese Army periodically announces the arrest of Syrian nationals in Lebanon on various charges.

On August 4, the Lebanese Army announced that it had carried out security measures in several areas, including raids, patrols, and checkpoints, resulting in the arrest of 20 people. Among them were 18 Syrians who had entered Lebanese territory illegally in the Wadi Marhej-Ras Baalbek area.

The army also arrested a Syrian at the Douris checkpoint in Baalbek for moving around Lebanese territory without legal documents and seized a quantity of drugs in his possession. Raids were also carried out in the towns of al-Khader and Taalabaya, resulting in the seizure of weapons, military ammunition, and military equipment linked to shooting cases.

Lebanese security forces had previously announced on July 13 the arrest of a Syrian whom they said held the position of “general security emir” for what are known as the “Southern Province” and “Central Province” affiliated with the Islamic State group in Syria.

The Public Relations Division of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said the arrest was carried out on June 30 as part of proactive security operations conducted by the Information Branch to pursue members of groups classified as terrorist organizations, following surveillance and monitoring operations.

The statement did not disclose the detainee’s name, identifying him only by the initials “H. R.” and noting that he was born in 1994.