The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces - Public Relations Division issued the following statement: “As part of the continuous follow-up carried out by the Internal Security Forces to combat crimes in various Lebanese regions, the Information Division available information about the activity of unidentified persons in the field of facilitating prostitution in the Matn and Keserwan regions, and their kidnapping of girls working in this field and imposing torture on their employers in exchange for their return. As a result, the specialized units in the division intensified their field and technical efforts to identify those involved and arrest them. As a result of surveys and investigations, the Division was able to identify a number of them, including: Dr. A. (Born in 1984, Lebanese), has a criminal record and is wanted by judicial warrants. M. A. (Born in 1982, Lebanese). On 7/23/2026, after careful monitoring and control, one of the Division’s patrols was able to arrest them in the Mansouriya locality, on board a “Kia” car, the color of Jordan, which was seized. During their arrest, they tried to resist the patrol members, which led to the use of force necessary to control and arrest them. During their interrogation, the first confessed to what was attributed to him in that he worked with others in the field of facilitating prostitution and transporting girls to hotels for the benefit of several people, including: M. H. (Born in 1994, Lebanese) The first also admitted to firing military weapons. The second also admitted that he knew about the first’s work in the field of transporting girls, and that he accompanied him several times, while he denied his connection to kidnappings and asking for sisters. They also admitted to using drugs, specifically "buzz cocaine." During the investigation with (M.H.), he confessed to working with others in the field of imposing marriages on people who ran prostitution networks competing with them in a number of areas of Mount Lebanon, where they lured girls working within those networks by making them believe that they had clients. When they arrived at the hotel, the meeting place, they would stop the car carrying them and take the girl’s phone, then ask the driver to contact the person she works for and inform him that she is being detained until he pays a sum of money ranging between 500 and 1,500 US dollars. They were detaining the girls in buildings or hotels in the areas of: Hazmieh, Mansourieh, Tabarja, Jounieh, Ghazir, Ain al-Rummaneh, Chiyah, the southern suburb, Zalka, and Antelias. The legal requirements were carried out against them, and they were deposited with the seized car with the relevant authority, based on the judicial authority, and work is still underway to arrest the rest of those involved.