BEIRUT: The release of 16 Lebanese servicemen in a swap deal Tuesday ends 16 months of captivity for the policemen and Army soldiers held by the Nusra Front.

Below is a timeline of the main developments the hostage crisis went through over this period:

Aug. 2-6, 2014Militants from Nusra and ISIS invade the northeastern Lebanese border town of Arsal after a rebel Syrian commander, Imad Jomaa, was arrested by the Lebanese Army. What starts as protests on a Saturday afternoon calling for Jomaa’s release quickly turns into an all-out battle between the Army and the militants.

Aug. 6, 2014Five days after the militants first stormed the town, negotiators from the Muslim Scholars Committee announce a 24-hour cease-fire to allow their withdrawal. In exchange for free passage back to the border, the militants demand assurances from the Army that Syrian refugees in Arsal will not be subjected to any reprisal attacks. At this point, at least 17 soldiers, 12 civilians and 50 militants have been killed.

Aug, 7, 2014As militants withdraw on Aug. 7, they take with them over 30 soldiers and policemen to Arsal’s outskirts.

Aug, 28, 2014ISIS kills soldier Ali Sayyed, releasing pictures of his severed head on social media. The death of Sayyed, from north Lebanon, drives home the urgency of the ongoing negotiations to release the hostages.

Aug, 30, 2014The Nusra Front hands over five captives, four soldiers and one policeman to Arsal Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri.

Sept. 5-6, 2014A delegation dispatched by Qatar meets with the militants in the outskirts of Arsal, to relay their demands back to Lebanon’s government, which is still not willing to negotiate directly with the captors.

Sept. 6, 2014ISIS kills a second Lebanese soldier, Abbas Medlej, blaming it on an escape attempt by the captive.

Sept. 19, 2014The Nusra Front kills Mohammad Maarouf Hammieh, a soldier. His murder is announced via Twitter, in a message blaming the Lebanese Army for “becoming a puppet of Hezbollah,” a theme that will become increasing common in the coming months.

Oct. 8, 2014After closing the vital Dahr al-Baidar highway that links the Bekaa Valley to Beirut for two weeks, the families of the captive servicemen move their protest to Riad al-Solh Square in Downtown Beirut.Oct. 14, 2014Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri, who was credited with negotiating the release of five captives from the Nusra Front, is charged with belonging to the terrorist organization by Lebanon’s military prosecutor. Hujeiri faces the death penalty but remains at large.

Nov. 21, 2014The family of Ibrahim Samir Mgheit, who is being held by ISIS, is allowed to visit him in the outskirts of Arsal.

Nov. 29, 2014After months of working with intermediaries, the government says it is holding direct negotiations to resolve the hostage crisis.

Dec. 5, 2014Following months of threats and postponements, the Nusra Front announces that it has killed Ali Bazzal, a Lebanese policeman who was among the servicemen taken captive during the Arsal clashes. He is the second captive to be murdered by the Nusra Front.

Dec. 7, 2014After the execution of Bazzal, and ensuing rising tensions and retaliatory attacks against Syrian refugees over the weekend, Qatar announces that it is withdrawing from the mediation of the Lebanese hostage crisis. Frustration grows at the government’s handling of the situation, with hostages’ families shutting down major arteries in the country in protest. In the north, refugee camps are set ablaze and one child killed when a camp comes under gunfire.

May 8, 2015General Security chief Maj. Gen Abbas Ibrahim says that the release of 16 Lebanese servicemen held by the Nusra Front will be executed after negotiating minor details related to the implementation of the swap deal.

June 3, 2015The Nusra Front takes to Twitter to refute Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim’s claim that a hostage swap deal was imminent following months of negotiations.

Nov. 17, 2015Families of hostages say that the Nusra Front is demanding control over two Syrian villages near Lebanon’s border in return for releasing the 16 servicemen.

Nov. 27, 2015Positive signs surface again that a swap deal is imminent between Lebanon and the Nusra Front. Qatar’s mediation is revived.

Nov. 29, 2015Swap deal with Nusra Front delayed after the militant group suddenly makes additional demands.

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