Between rumors and reality: Lebanese Army on guard after reports of plot to kidnap soldiers

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi    

Are reports about extremist groups in Syria planning to kidnap soldiers from the Lebanese Army accurate?

The Lebanese Army has heightened security along the Syrian border after an internal document warned of possible plans by extremist groups in Syria to abduct Lebanese soldiers for prisoner swaps, military and security sources said Sunday.

The document, which circulated over the past hours to army units and other security agencies, including customs authorities, cited intelligence suggesting that militants based in Syrian territory near the border were preparing to kidnap soldiers in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and northern regions. 

According to the document, the aim would be to exchange them for Islamist detainees held in Lebanese prisons.

Military sources confirmed the document's authenticity but stressed it was based on preliminary intelligence. The army stated that it issued the notice as a precaution, urging heightened vigilance at night, closer monitoring of suspicious movements, and reinforcing security at border posts. Other security agencies were also alerted, as any such plot could potentially target their personnel.

The warning came amid the circulation of videos online in which individuals from Syrian tribes threatened to abduct Lebanese soldiers unless prisoners in Roumieh prison were released.

The army also denied separate reports claiming that Lebanese warplanes had crossed into Syrian airspace to monitor militant movements following the threats. 

"These claims are false," the military said in a statement, adding that units are taking the necessary measures to secure the border and maintain coordination with Syrian authorities.

Sources close to the matter said Damascus has not endorsed the tribal threats, describing them as pressure tactics that are unlikely to materialize on the ground. Daily coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian sides continues to address security concerns along the frontier.