The Lebanese northeastern border town of Arsal laid to rest on Sunday Hussein al-Hujeiri, who was killed by Syrian regime forces, as confirmed by the al-Mustaqbal Movement’s branch in the area.
The man was reportedly tortured before being killed by Syrian forces, it said on Sunday.
Hujeiri, Wissam Karnabi and Nayef Raed, were reported missing in Arsal’s outskirts on Thursday.
The National News Agency reported that Hujeiri’s body was found in the outskirts of Arsal.
“Arsal bids farewell to its martyr Hussein al-Hujeiri, who was killed by the Syrian regime’s criminality after its troops made an incursion into Lebanese territory in Arsal’s hills, where they kidnapped Hujeiri and his companions,” al-Mustaqbal said in a statement.
“They took them into Syrian territory after assaulting them while they were on a hunting trip in the Wadi al-Shahout area,” it added.
It noted that Hujeiri’s body, which was retrieved by Lebanon’s General Security agency on Saturday, bore “torture” marks.
Efforts were underway between the Mustaqbal and General Security to find Karnabi and Raed and return them safe to their families and country.
In a speech during the funeral, Mustaqbal bloc MP Bakr al-Hujeiri said the Syrian regime ruled Lebanon for 30 years “and still aspires to return to it.”
“We tell this regime: you will not return to our country. Your presence was a bad era in the history of Lebanon... Lebanon has sovereignty, freedom and independence,” he added.
Al-Mustaqbal said the incident was a “dangerous attack on Arsal and its people,” adding that “the Lebanese border is being violated daily by the Syrian regime’s forces.”
“Arsal cannot accept the continuation of this dangerous situation on its border and calls on the state to pay attention to the area and to activate the army’s missions in controlling the border and preventing the violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” the statement read.
Arsal deputy municipal chief Rima Karanbi told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hujeiri and his companions had entered Syrian territory on a hunting mission. People often go hunting for partridges in the area using nets.
“They did not even have hunting rifles,” she said, adding that the only information authorities had of the incident came from the regime.
