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Wiam Wahhab: Has the Syrian embassy in Lebanon become a kidnapping hub?
Former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab said today that the arrest of a Syrian national on Lebanese soil after his appearance in a video in front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut raises a serious question about whether the mission has become a "kidnapping point," calling on the Lebanese state and international organizations to take immediate action and investigate the incident.
Wahhab's remarks followed the arrest of Syrian citizen Hussein Abdel Qader Al-Ahmad, known as "Hijo," announced Tuesday by Syrian security agencies, which said he was detained on the Syria–Lebanon border. The Syrian Internal Security Forces said in a statement that the arrest was carried out "in cooperation and coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate," accusing Al-Ahmad of "insulting the state and its symbols and deliberately provoking Syrians' feelings," and stating he will be referred to the competent judiciary to complete legal procedures.
Wahhab urged the relevant Lebanese authorities to open a transparent investigation into the circumstances of the arrest, including where and when it took place, and to determine whether any parties conducted arrests or handovers on Lebanese territory, stressing the need for international organizations to intervene to protect sovereignty and the rule of law and to prevent Lebanese territory from being used for external conflicts.
No official response has yet been issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Syrian embassy in Beirut regarding the accusations or the manner in which the arrest was carried out. The incident remains under public and political scrutiny amid the sensitivity of Syrian–Lebanese tensions and disputes over opposition activity in Lebanon.
