ISIS threatens to kill Saif Zebian, Khaled Moqbel, two Lebanese prisoners
The Islamic State has threatened to kill two more prisoners, this time Lebanese prisoners, making demands on the government, according to new reports on Monday.
The families of soldiers Saif Zebian and Khaled Moqbel received phone calls from alleged ISIS militants informing them the troops may soon be executed, according to the these reports carried by several media outlets. MTV said that ISIS issued the threat because of the Lebanese Army’s siege on the militants, holed up on the outskirts of the northeast border town of Arsal, the Daily Star says.
Last week, Health Minister Wael Abu Faour said he had received a list of demands issued by the jihadists holding 27 Lebanese servicemen hostage. Several have confirmed that the Sunni Muslim extremists are asking for the release of militants from the Roumieh Prison.
The Nusra Front announced earlier Monday, that it delayed the execution of Ali Bazzal who was set to be killed at dawn. The militant group threatened Sunday to “begin ending the kidnapped soldiers file” in the coming days, unless the Lebanese Army ended an offensive against militants in north Lebanon.
NNA says: “Our agency received a phone call from the father of one of the kidnapped hostages saying that the terrorist kidnappers phone called the wife of the kidnapped soldier Khalid Mokbel Hassan and told her that Minister Wael Abu Faour has been contacted by kidnappers asking the government to satisfy certain demands which should be executed to save the lives of both Hassan and his friend Saif Zebian…The father of the hostage also quoted the wife of Hassan as saying that the kidnappers informed Abu Faour that they will announce tomorrow morning a third name for a soldier to be executed. ”