Tensions in the northern Bekaa Valley threatened to boil over Tuesday as mediations between local leaders failed to resolve the ongoing hostage crisis between a local Shiite clan and a neighboring Sunni town.
Angry members of the Jaafar clan snatched two more residents from nearby Arsal after reports that their own Hussein Kamel Jaafar had been released proved false, sources told The Daily Star.
Jaafar was kidnapped late Saturday night by unidentified armed men rumored to be linked to the armed Syrian opposition. The clan retaliated by kidnapping eight residents of Arsal, later releasing four as a gesture of “goodwill.”
Arsal is known for its strong support for the armed Syrian opposition, but residents and officials deny any involvement in Jaafar’s kidnapping. The Jaafar clan is currently holding five people, and has sworn to do whatever it takes to secure Hussein Jaafar’s release.
In official statements, both sides have stressed their commitment to finding a peaceful solution, a sentiment seemingly belied by the increased security measures and kidnappings that continued into Tuesday night.
The Army, which set up checkpoints throughout the area, succeeded in foiling the attempted kidnapping of someone from the Baridi family, but failed to prevent the kidnapping of Nimr Fliti and Walid Zaarour. Zaarour was later handed over to Army Intelligence, as another goodwill gesture.
Fliti was reportedly a passenger in a pickup truck that came under fire in the area of Harbata-al-Bazalieh, forcing it to stop, while Zaarour was taken near Hermel. They join Hussein Hassan Rayed, Mohammad Rayed, Saud Mohammad Rayed, and Mohammad Mahmoud Hujeiri, who are still held by the Jaafar clan.
The resumption of hostilities follows several days of intense arbitration by local leaders.
The mufti of Baalbek-Hermel, Sheikh Bakr al-Rifai is among those who has been working tirelessly to contain the fallout from the rash of kidnappings. He even helped broker the release of the four Arsal residents, Abdel-Salem Hujeiri, Malik Fliti, and two others identified only by their family name of Ezzedine. But even Sheikh Rifai was only able to ease tensions, which have worsened and taken on a sectarian dimension since the start of the war in Syria.
The mayor of Arsal, Ali Hujeiri, told reporters there was credible information that Jaafar had been taken over the border into the Syrian town of Al-Maara, adding that a local delegation has been formed with the intention of traveling there to negotiate Jaafar’s release. Hujeiri emphasized the positive relationship between the people of Arsal and the Jaafar family, and the importance of preventing any further escalation. He also stressed the need for “both sides” to recognize their mistakes in order to repair ties and move forward.
For their part, a leader within the Jaafar family told The Daily Star that the clan’s relationship with Arsal was better than ever, characterized by mutual respect and love. But the kidnapping of one of their own, “in the area of Arsal, and in the presence of people from the town,” he said, forced them to take action.
He went on to say that the identities of some of the kidnappers had become common knowledge, although they could not be independently verified. He also said evidence indicated possible financial motives behind the kidnapping, and that if this were indeed the case they were prepared to “cooperate fully,” presumably by paying a ransom.
Ruwaida Jaafar, Hussein Jaafar’s wife, told The Daily Star that her husband worked as a truck driver in order to provide for his family, and that he had no business or political ties.
In a statement released by the family, the Jaafar clan said they and the people of Arsal were “on the same side” in condemning kidnapping, and called on the town’s residents to “aim to put an end” to such practices for the sake of “preserving the peace and stability of the region.”
Jaafar is not the only Lebanese believed to be a hostage in Syria, although his alleged cross-border kidnapping has raised fears that Syria’s bloody conflict could ignite latent tensions in Lebanon.
His disappearance also follows a recent spate of kidnappings for ransom that have also been linked to gangs in the Baalbek-Hermel area.
The Future bloc released a statement following its weekly meeting expressing “shock” and condemnation for the “growing phenomenon” of kidnappings. The statement called on the “level-headed” residents of the northern Bekaa Valley to preserve “coexistence,” and on the security forces and military to spare no effort in resolving the issue.
The bloc also took the opportunity to call for the release of all Lebanese in Syria.
Separately, President Michel Sleiman speaking at the Arab League summit in Doha, addressed the issue of the Lebanese hostages kidnapped in the Syrian town of Azaz . He reminded his fellow Arab statesmen that Lebanon had taken in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, and called on those present to make every effort to free the Lebanese hostages, the National News Agency reported.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were seized while returning from Iran through Syria last year. Two were released last summer, but the fate of the remaining nine remains unknown. Their families held a sit-in Tuesday morning in front of the Justice Ministry, demanding the release of their loved ones and threatening to escalate their campaign of civil disobedience.
Sleiman also followed up on the issue with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, urging Turkey to use its influence with the Syrian opposition to increase pressure on the group holding the Lebanese hostages to release them. – Additional reporting by Meris Lutz
