Lebanon's Army Says Its Troops Have Killed 3 of the Country's Most Wanted Drug Dealers
The shooting in the northeastern city of Baalbek comes as the cash-strapped military tries to exert its presence across the country, including along the border with Syria.
For years, the porous border has been a key route for weapons and drug smuggling, notably cannabis and the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon.
The army said in a statement an exchange of fire occurred as members of the military were chasing the car used by the three Lebanese citizens, leading to their death.
'They were among the most wanted and dangerous drug dealers,' the army said. It added that the three had been involved in shooting at army posts and patrols as well as kidnapping and theft.
Two judicial officials said one of the men had 115 arrest warrants against him and was involved in the 2023 kidnapping of a foreigner in Beirut. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Lebanon says Israeli strike kills five, wounds 10
BEIRUT: Lebanon said an Israeli strike on the country's east on Thursday killed at least five people, in the latest attack despite a November ceasefire in a war with militant group Hezbollah. 'The Israeli strike on Masnaa Road resulted in a preliminary toll of five deaths and ten injuries,' the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement. The state-run National News Agency reported that the strike hit a vehicle in the area, near a border crossing with Syria. The reported strike came as Lebanon's government was discussing Hezbollah's disarmament.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Lebanon says Israeli strike kills five, wounds 10
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on the country's east on Thursday killed at least five people, in the latest attack despite a November ceasefire in a war with militant group Hezbollah. 'The Israeli strike on Masnaa Road resulted in a preliminary toll of five deaths and ten injuries,' the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement. The state-run National News Agency reported that the strike hit a vehicle in the area, near a border crossing with Syria. The reported strike came as Lebanon's government was discussing Hezbollah's disarmament.
Al Arabiya
20 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
North Korean defector rescued after swimming across border: Seoul
A North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, Seoul authorities said Thursday. The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of July 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. 'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters. The individual, who local media reported was tied to Styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4:00 am on July 31 (1900 GMT July 30). The North Korean is now in custody and has expressed their wish to defect, the defense ministry said. Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10 kilometers (six miles) from the maritime border between the two countries. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighboring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. But a North Korean man defected last month to the South by crossing the Military Demarcation Line. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders -- purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the frontier with China -- to prevent the spread of COVID-19. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South.
