Lebanese Army Frees Abducted Saudi Citizen; 9 Suspects Arrested

The Lebanese Army's intelligence unit announced on Tuesday that it had freed a Saudi national who was kidnapped in Beirut on Sunday, stating that several individuals linked to the abduction had also been arrested. According to Reuters, the Lebanese Army's statement indicated that the Saudi citizen was freed in an operation along the Lebanon-Syria border. The Saudi state television reported on Monday evening that a man working for Saudi Airlines was abducted in Beirut on Sunday, with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of $400,000. After the Saudi citizen's release, the Lebanese Interior Minister held a press conference at the Saudi embassy, stating that no ransom was paid and that Lebanese security forces had arrested nine individuals in connection with the kidnapping. The Lebanese Interior Minister remarked that this abduction would not affect diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Relations between the two countries had previously been strained due to Hezbollah's increasing influence in Lebanon, which is backed by Iran, but Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies returned their ambassadors to Beirut in April 2022. The Saudi ambassador expressed gratitude to Lebanese officials on Tuesday, stating that the Saudi citizen was in good health, but he did not comment on the potential impact of this incident on bilateral relations. In 2017, during a period of rising tensions between the two countries, a Saudi national was also kidnapped in Lebanon. Security sources told Reuters that kidnapping for ransom, often involving children, has increased as a means of obtaining large sums of cash. Kidnappers often move their victims to remote areas near the Lebanon-Syria border and sometimes even into Syria to evade capture by Lebanese security forces. Lebanon has been suffering from a severe financial crisis for about four years.