BAALBEK, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army has imposed a siege on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal, where militants are holding 25 servicemen hostage, by blocking most roads leading to the area, security and local sources said.
Troops have also been pounding the outskirts with heavy artillery.
The security measures comes three days after the Nusra Front shot dead captive policeman Ali Bazzal.
The killing provoked a wave of anger by Bazzal’s family and the families of the remaining captives, and was followed by attacks on Syrian refugees in north and northeast Lebanon. At least one Syrian boy was killed and an adult wounded when gunmen opened fire on a refugee site early Sunday.
The Army siege also came a day after Qatar announced it was no longer involved in the mediation to free the captives.
Arsal is connected to its outskirts, which lie between Lebanon and Syria, via five main channels.
Wadi al-Raayan, Wadi Ata and Wadi al-Hosn were totally blocked to prevent any militants from moving in and out.
But the Army left two channels open. One was the road in the Wadi Hmeid area that links the town to residential and industrial neighborhoods at the beginning of the outskirts, and the other was the nearby entrance named Aaqabat al-Masyada. Security sources told The Daily Star that the Army left the roads open to allow local residents to move freely.
The Army has also closed off several roads connecting the town of Ras Baalbek, which is several miles north of Arsal, to its outskirts.
Militants ambushed an Army patrol last Tuesday on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, killing six soldiers and wounding one.
The roads leading from Labweh to Ras Baalbek and the roads linking Arsal to Ras Baalbek were all closed, as well as some peripheral roads between Ras Baalbek and its outskirts.
The Army has also significantly bolstered the number of troops and armored vehicles in Arsal in preparation for any possible offensive to end the four-month-long hostage crisis, or in anticipation of more attacks.
Both the Nusra Front and ISIS have expressed fury over the Army’s recent arrests of two women, one believed to be the ex-wife of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the current wife of an ISIS commander, and their children.
Nusra said it carried out Bazzal’s killing in response to their arrests.
The jihadi groups have threatened to kill more if their demands are not met.
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