Syrian Al Qaida group executes Lebanese soldier

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The Nusra Front, a Syrian militant group affiliated with Al Qaida, has released a video that depicts the execution of a Lebanese soldier. It is the first such video from the group.

Lebanese media reports that the soldier, Mohammad Hammieh, said that forces loyal to Hezbollah, which have been fighting in Syria on behalf of President Bashar Assad, must halt their attacks on Sunnis. Seconds later, Hammieh was shot in the the head by a man dressed in black.

Another captive, Lebanese police officer Ali al-Bazzal, then pleaded through tears that Hezbollah withdraw from Syria.

"If you don't stop attacking and inciting against our Sunni brethren then I will follow my fellow soldier who was killed right there," Bazzal said.

Hezbollah, itself considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, is a Shia militant group and political party in Lebanon. It sent fighters to assist Alawite President Bashar Assad against Sunni rebels last year.

The Nusra Front said that Hammieh was executed because of Hezbollah's interference with negotiations with the Lebanese government and because of continued raids on Syrian refugees in Arsal. They said Bazzal would be next.

The better-known Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has dominated headlines recently after making giant territorial gains in both Syria and Iraq and beheading two American journalists and a British aid worker. The Islamic State roots from the former group Al Qaida in Iraq, but it was eventually disowned by Al Qaida, which kept ties with the Nusra Front, another extremist militant group fighting Syrian government forces.

In February, Nusra Front threatened IS forces in a disagreement over the correct strategy in Syria.

Beirut's The Daily Star reports that both the Islamic State and Nusra Front have used Qatari mediators to try and swap dozens of Lebanese hostages for militants being held in the infamous Roumieh Prison. The Nusra Front had previously released seven captive Lebanese police officers as a gesture of good will, while IS militants beheaded two Lebanese soldiers.