The Lebanese soldier Patrick Bakarian, member of the presidential guard, who disappeared during a trip to Jdeidet Marjeyoun, in southern Lebanon. (Photo circulating on social networks0
A member of the Lebanese presidential guard, Patrick Bakarian, from Zahle in the Bekaa Valley, who had been missing since April 18, has died, our correspondent in the region reports. According to a security source familiar with the matter, the young man’s family was contacted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which informed them of his death.
The soldier disappeared in the town of Jdeidet Marjeyoun, in southern Lebanon. At the time, a security source told L’Orient-Le Jour that he had gone to the village to visit his fiancée and was not wearing his military uniform during the trip. The Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had cooperated in attempts to locate him.
The first reports suggested he had been abducted by Israeli forces, who are present in the area due to their invasion of southern Lebanon after renewed hostilities since March 2. However, this theory was never confirmed.
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