BEIRUT — It has been more than 14 months since the kidnapping of 40 Lebanese military and security personnel by Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS) during fighting in Arsal on Aug. 2, 2014. Without new information from the government on the soldiers' fate, their parents on Oct. 4 announced the resumption of street actions they had suspended, blocking main roads in Beirut, including a road in Riad al-Solh Square, the airport road and the Raouche road, and demonstrating at the Interior Ministry.
Following the mass kidnapping, several parties proposed initiatives to obtain the soldiers' release, namely, the Muslim Scholars Committee, the Salafist Sheikh Wissam al-Masri and Ahmed Fliti, deputy chief of the Arsal municipality. On Aug. 31, 2014, a ministerial crisis group was formed and held a series of meetings to follow the issue. Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, director general of Lebanon’s General Security, was assigned to conduct negotiations with al-Nusra, with Qatari mediation. Al-Nusra had released some of the soldiers in batches: three on Aug. 5, two on Aug. 17 and five on Aug. 30. Five of the soldiers were killed. The group continues to detain 16 men, while IS holds another nine.