Syrian teenager freed by Lebanese army in Bekaa kidnapping, four still held

Wednesday 27 August 2025 - 13:30

By: Sahili Aya

Syrian teenager freed by Lebanese army in Bekaa kidnapping, four still held

The Lebanese army announced on Tuesday the rescue of a 14-year-old Syrian boy who had been kidnapped earlier in the day in the northern Bekaa region. The incident occurred after a deadly exchange of gunfire between smugglers along the porous Lebanese-Syrian border. Four other Syrian nationals abducted during the same events remain in captivity.

According to initial reports, the clashes involved armed traffickers from the Syrian village of Serghaya. The shooting left two people dead, including Lebanese national Zayn Issa, and injured another man, Fayez Issa, who was reportedly taken to Syria for medical treatment against his will.

Hours after the confrontation, unidentified armed men abducted five members of the al-Joujou family near the entrance of Baalbeck. Among them was the teenager later freed by Lebanese troops. Military sources said the kidnappers sought to pressure for the release of Fayez Issa.

The army launched an operation in Haour Taala, east of Baalbeck, installing checkpoints and searching vehicles. Security forces also evacuated shepherds from the frontier to prevent further abductions.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Lebanon has reinforced its border deployments to curb smuggling and cross-border violence. Earlier this year, violent clashes broke out between Syrian security forces and Lebanese clans involved in trafficking. In July, the army sealed off several illegal routes in Macharih el-Qaa, previously used for clandestine crossings and fuel smuggling.