On April 9, 2024, Pascal Sleiman, a senior figure in the Christian Lebanese Forces party, was abducted and killed in the area of Byblos, Lebanon.[1][2] Approximately a day and a half later, his body was found in Syria, sparking outrage among the Christian population in Lebanon, venting their anger on Syrian refugees, that fled the Syrian civil war, for several days.[3]
| Date | 7 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Byblos, Lebanon (Abduction) Northern Syria (Body found) |
| Type | Abduction and murder by shooting |
| Cause | Either a car theft attempt or a political assassination orchestrated by Hezbollah and the Syrian regime |
| Perpetrator | Syrian gang members (per LAF and ISF) |
| Deaths | Pascal Sleiman |
| Arrests | 6 |
| Suspects | 11 |
Background
From the years of 2011–2016, there was an influx of over 1.5 million refugees from Syria to the neighboring country of Lebanon. As the numbers of Syrians in Lebanon have grown, so have tensions; the attitude towards reception of Syrians in Lebanon quickly became opposed to. The influx of Syrians into Lebanon has resulted in economic, political, social and religious tensions in Lebanon.[4]
Pascal Sleiman (Arabic: باسكال سليمان) was a Lebanese IT expert that worked for Byblos Bank for 20 years.[5] He was a member of the Lebanese Forces (LF) and was appointed the coordinator of the party in the Byblos District. He was married to Micheline Wehbe and had three children.[6]
Abduction and killing
On the afternoon of April 7, 2024, Pascal Sleiman, a coordinator for the Christian Lebanese Forces party in the Byblos area, got into his car after returning home from a relative’s funeral.[7] While driving in a black Audi, he was ambushed and kidnapped by unidentified assailants of Syrian nationality. During his abduction he was calling a friend and he was heard through the phone saying "I have children, don't kill me" which were his last known words.[8] News got out of his kidnapping and protestors blocked roads demanding a safe return.
A day and a half later, his body was found by Syrian soldiers in the Hawit area of Syria and a video of his alleged corpse circulated online.[8] Sleiman's body was delivered to the Basel al-Assad Hospital in Homs by the Lebanese Red Cross and then transported to Lebanon.[3]
Aftermath
Suleiman's funeral was held on 12 April at the Church of Saint George, Byblos. The ceremony was initiated by Maronite patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.[9] The Lebanese-Christian community called the citizens of Lebanon to unite, and participate in the funeral ceremony in solidarity of his "martyrdom".[10]
Investigations and reactions
Initially, it was claimed that Hezbollah was behind the abduction, however, the Lebanese security forces argued that a gang of Syrian refugees was responsible. The Lebanese Army arrested three Syrians and a Lebanese mole for questioning and to find the victim's whereabouts. With the cooperation of a unit of the Syrian army, they were able to arrest the four kidnappers of Syrian nationalities including the alleged leader named Bilal Mohammad Dello.[8] Eleven have been implicated in the case, however five are in the run and are believed to have fled to Syria. Three of which are considered to be the main leaders behind the operation.[11]
Official judicial sources said that Suleiman was killed by a car theft gang, however the Lebanese Forces and allied parties claim it was a political assassination particularly orchestrated by Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, who have been known to have assassinated numerous critics and opposition politicians. Hezbollah secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, denied these claims in a speech and added that the accusations were intended to cause sectarian strife.[12]
The discovery of his body in Syria and the shifting of blame towards the Syrian refugees angered the Christians in Lebanon, who clashed with the refugees in the streets between Jbeil and other places across Lebanon.[3][13][14] On April 10, local Christians in Bourj Hammoud, a suburb of Beirut, declared to the Syrian migrants in the area that they must vacate all businesses and apartments in Bourj Hammoud by April 12.[15] The following day, Christians distributed leaflets in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut, issuing an ultimatum to the Syrian refugees to leave the area by April 12 (the next day). Leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, called for calm and personally visited Jbeil.[12]
Following the killing, the Lebanese Interior Minister declared that the presence of Syrians in Lebanon must end, and security forces were instructed to enforce Lebanese law on the Syrian refugees within Lebanon's territory.[16] The minister of the displaced, Issam Sharafeddine, even called for the execution of the murderers.[8]
References
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