Majid bin Mohammad al-Majid, the emir of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades in the Levant, was undergoing kidney treatment at the Almakased hospital in Beirut, when he suddenly found himself face to face with the Lebanese army. A security source told Al-Monitor that the al-Qaeda-affiliated emir was arrested after Lebanese military intelligence received information that he was about to leave for an unknown destination.
“The decision was taken and the army arrested Majid without shooting a bullet,” said the security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He added, “The army knew that Majid left his hiding place in Sidon, 40 kilometers [25 miles] south of Beirut, on the evening of the attacks on the army two weeks ago [Dec. 15].” The source was citing the Sidon attacks — which left four attackers and one Lebanese soldier killed after a triple attack on checkpoints around the city — that Al-Monitor reported on in detail.