28-03-2024 06:27 PM Jerusalem Timing

LAF Arrests 4 Syrians over Terror Links

LAF Arrests 4 Syrians over Terror Links

The Lebanese Army Forces detained on Friday four Syrians in the Bekaa Valley in east Lebanon suspected of belonging to terrorist group.

Lebanese army in BekaaThe Lebanese Army Forces detained on Friday four Syrians in the Bekaa Valley in east Lebanon suspected of belonging to terrorist groups, a statement issued by the military command said.

"An Army Intelligence unit detained on the Labweh-Arsal road" four Syrians suspected of having links to terror organizations, the statement, issued late Friday, said.

The four were identified as Salah Mohammad al-Jebbe, Mohammad Ahmad al-Khatib, Hamza Soueidan al-Hamza and Mohammad Fawzi al-Buheiri.

An investigation is underway with the four suspects under the supervision of the judiciary, the statement said.

The state-run National News Agency later reported that investigations revealed the four men had defected from the Syrian army to join the so-called 'Free Syrian Army'.

Three of the men were previously colonels and the fourth was ranked as a major, according to the NNA.

Lebanese authorities have been cracking down on individuals suspected of terror links, charging dozens with belonging to the so-called 'Islamic State of iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) and the Nusra Front -- al-Qaeda branch in Syria -- takfiri groups and orchestrating terrorist attacks in the country.