Kins of abducted Lebanese urged to pressure Hezbollah

The kidnappers of the Lebanese that are held in Syria called on the kins of the Shiite pilgrims to exert pressure on Hezbollah in order to expedite the release of the hostages.

The North Storm Brigade also accused Hezbollah of “stalling” in the statement it released on Sunday.

However, the families of the kidnapped accused the abducting party of “stalling and delaying” the freeing of their relatives, after the kidnappers had announced that they would release three of the pilgrims in exchange for the release of female prisoners held in the Syrian regime’s jails in the month of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims.

The North Storm Brigade’s statement also mentioned that the shelling of the Aleppo province intensified, which the families of the abducted considered that it constitutes a threat to the lives of their relatives.

In May 2012, eleven Shiite pilgrims were abducted in Syria’s Aleppo while returning from a pilgrimage in Iran, two of which were later released.

Later in the month, a previously unknown armed group calling itself the “Syrian Revolutionaries—Aleppo Province” said that it was holding the group, while the Free Syrian Army had repeatedly denied its involvement in the abduction.

Hezbollah fighters have been helping the the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad in its crackdown against the mostly Sunni rebels seeking to overthrow the regime. The rebels accused Hezbollah of invading Syria and vowed to move the war to Lebanon.

Hundreds of Hezbollah fighers have reportedly been killed in Syria and buried in Lebanon. Ove 100,000 have been killed so far in the Syrian civil war according to activists.