BEIRUT: At least one or two of the 25 Lebanese servicemen held hostage by Islamist militants on the Syrian border will be released soon, Arsal Mayor Ali Hujeiri said in remarks published Tuesday.
“Within the coming few hours, you will hear good news. I’m not saying a swap deal is going to take place, but at least one or two of the hostages will be freed in a day or so,” Hujeiri told local daily Al-Joumhouria.
His remarks came following a visit to the captors by Arsal Deputy Mayor Ahmad Fliti.
Fliti was appointed by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt to lead negotiations with the captors to end the 5-month-old hostage ordeal.
ISIS and Nusra Front briefly overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in early August, taking more than 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive. They have since released eight and killed four.
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi welcomed Fliti's appointment.
A spokesperson for the hostages' families said after meeting with Machnouk Monday that the minister reiterated his support for any effort that would release the captives, especially the efforts of Ahmad Fliti.
The spokesperson quoted Machnouk as saying that the Cabinet supported a deal that involved trading Islamist inmates in Roumieh Prison for the captives.
Later in the day, the families met with Rifi, who voiced strong support for Fliti. “I have cooperated with him on many different issues before,” Rifi said in reference to Fliti. “We trust him, his efforts and his integrity.”
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