Three Lebanese soldiers killed in Bekaa drug raid
Lebanon plays a big role in the Captagon trade, though authorities are trying to crack down on drugs.
Three Lebanese soldiers were killed on Thursday during a drug raid in the eastern part of the country.
The Lebanese army said that the three soldiers were killed during a gunfight in Haour Taala in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, which sits close to the border with Syria. The incident occurred during a confrontation with “wanted” individuals, three of whom were also killed, according to a tweet from the army.
An army spokesperson told Lebanon’s L’Orient Today that the suspects were believed to be drug traffickers. The Lebanese news outlets Naharnet and 961 also described the raid as targeting alleged drug traffickers.
Why it matters: Lebanon’s drug war is tied to the one in neighboring Syria. The amphetamine Captagon — notorious for its use by Islamic State fighters in battle — has turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry in war-torn Syria. The drug has been increasingly moved through Lebanon amid the economic crisis there, according to a November report from Agence France-Presse.
