The head of the Lebanese Forces in Jbeil, Pascal Sleiman. (Credit: X)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army declared on Monday that Pascal Sleiman, head of the Lebanese Forces' (LF) Jbeil district office, who had been missing since his kidnapping the previous day, was killed and his body taken to Syria.
The army announced that following several arrests and interrogations, it became evident that Sleiman had been killed during an attempted car burglary.
Earlier in the day, the army said that it carried out two series of arrests targeting Syrians suspected of having been involved in the kidnapping. The case has caused existing tensions to flare and a sense of unease felt to such an extent that even Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, a bitter rival of the Lebanese Forces, referred to the kidnapping in his speech on Monday. He took a moment during the televised address to deny any involvement by Hezbollah in Sleiman's disappearance, denouncing "false accusations."
Charbel Abi Akl, former LF official for Jbeil, told L'Orient Today on Sunday evening that Sleiman, originally from the village of Mayfouk, was attacked at around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday by men who blocked him while he was driving and forced his car off the road, in the area of Kharbeh. The LF manager's Linkedin page shows he has held numerous positions at Bylbos Bank, from 1999 to the present day.
"Following the kidnapping of Pascal Sleiman on Sunday, the Army Intelligence Services arrested several Syrians involved in the operation," the Lebanese Army said in a statement posted on X. Later in the afternoon, the army announced it had arrested "three additional Syrians" who the army alleges "took part in the kidnapping."
In the course of the army's investigation, a third statement explains, it eventually became clear that Sleiman was killed in an attempted car burglary, and that the perpetrators had "transported his remains to Syria." The army added that it is coordinating with the Syrian authorities to arrange for Sleiman's body to be returned to Lebanon, "and the investigation is being carried out under the supervision of the General Prosecutor's Office."
Since Sunday evening, outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the outgoing Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi have been urging the security forces and the army to carry out a rapid investigation.
'Rumors and emotions'
The press office of outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati responded to the army's announcement with a statement explaining how Mikati was informed of Sleiman's "assassination," and that he insists "investigations continue to uncover all the circumstances of the kidnapping and the people involved."
"We condemn and denounce this criminal act, and we offer our condolences to his family and to the LF," Mikati's statement reads, also calling on "everyone to show self-control and wisdom, and not to get caught up in rumors and emotions."
'Hatred and stupidity that harms Lebanon'
Much of Monday was filled various reactions from across the country to Sleiman's kidnapping. Notable among them was Nasrallah's comments on the incident.
Hezbollah is facing increasing hostility from other political actors, as Lebanon endures more than six months of Israeli attacks after Hezbollah opened a "support front" following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
"What is pushing Lebanon towards civil war is wrongful accusations," Nasrallah warned, denouncing an "attitude of hatred and stupidity that harms Lebanon and creates division."
"This case has nothing to do with politics or Hezbollah; it turned out that it was a gang of Syrians and Lebanese who kidnapped him," said the Secretary-General, who recalled the case of the February 2023 kidnapping of Sheikh Ahmad Rifai, an opponent of Hezbollah, in Akkar.
Hezbollah was accused of being behind the sheikh's disappearance, but following the recovery of Ahmad Rifai's body, the investigation revealed murder driven by family dynamics gone sour.
"We remained silent at the time, and it turned out to be a family affair, a municipal affair, in which we had nothing to do," said Nasrallah, during his speech. "What happened yesterday should serve as a lesson to all Lebanese, and particularly to Christians. Those in Lebanon who prevent division are precisely those who are accused of sedition."
He also spoke of a "very dangerous" phase for the country, calling on the various parties to "keep calm."
Several politicians, even traditional rivals of the Lebanese Forces, also spoke out against Sleiman's disappearance. Simon Abi Ramia, the Free Patriotic Movement (Aounist) MP for Jbeil, expressed his solidarity with LF, former LF Jbeil MP Fares Souhaid called on the security forces to investigate the incident, and MP Waddah Sadek pointed out that "The country is in a very sensitive situation and cannot tolerate escalating rhetoric."
'Hakim, Hakim!'
Earlier on Monday, LF leader Samir Geagea visited the party's headquarters in Mastita, Jbeil where hundreds of supporters had assembled, spurred by calls on social networks.
Upon his arrival, supporters chanted "Hakim! Hakim!" (his nickname means “doctor”). Geagea seldom departs from Maarab, his residence and the site of the party headquarters.
Jbeil highway blocked by protesters following the disappearance of LF executive Pascal Sleiman, April 8, 2024. (Credit: Stephanie Bechara)
Sleiman's disappearance also prompted reactions from religious dignitaries.
Against a backdrop of increasing polarization between Hezbollah and its detractors, including the LF, Jaafarite mufti Ahmad Kabalan denounced those who suspect the party's involvement in the incident.
"Lebanon is against the crimes of kidnapping ... this act cannot be committed by a political party or a national partner," he stressed, warning against "political and sectarian exploitation" of the kidnapping.
He added: "The case is highly suspicious and requires a national awareness in a country suffering from international and regional pressures ... that want to drag it into a conflict reminiscent of civil war."
The Deputy Inspector of Islamic Wakfs in Lebanon, Sheikh Hassan Merheb, urged "caution not to be drawn into sedition."