BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Friday urged for a speedy resolution to free the more than 20 Lebanese servicemen being held hostage by jihadist militants on the northeast border.
“We renew our call for the need to end the [hostage] ordeal and find exits that would ensure the safe return of the soldiers to their families and their homeland,” Hariri said in a message to mark the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday.
“Our joy in the Eid will not be complete before we see the kidnapped soldiers in the arms of their parents, and this is a responsibility worthy of national consensus and a crucial decision regardless of the price.”
ISIS and the Nusra Front kidnapped more than 30 Lebanese Army soldiers and policemen during their brief takeover of the northeast border town of Arsal in August. They have since released seven and executed three.