The fate of three Lebanese young men abducted by an Israeli force that infiltrated the outskirts of the border village of Rashaya Al-Fakhar on Tuesday remains unknown. The three were working in an agricultural area in the region at the time of the incident, which has sparked anxiety and anger among residents. According to reports, the Israeli force initially detained several citizens working in the area and confiscated their mobile phones before later releasing some of them, while continuing to hold three young men and taking them to an unknown destination. The abducted men are brothers Ahmad and Shawqi Attiyeh, along with their cousin Ali Attiyeh, all from the border town of Halta in the Hasbaya district.

The town of Halta, located in a sensitive border area, lives under constant security tension due to its exposed geographical position. Adjacent to Khiyam and directly overlooking Israeli positions, the town is subject to continuous military activity and intensive aerial surveillance, leaving farmers vulnerable to targeting or arrest while carrying out their daily work on the lands that serve as their main source of livelihood.

According to residents’ accounts, the Israeli force used rugged routes to reach the “Al-Dahir” area on the outskirts of Rashaya Al-Fakhar, where the young men were working during the current farming season. Since contact with them was lost, their families have been living in a state of anxious uncertainty, amid the absence of any official information or clear channels to determine their fate.

She added, “They were working to earn their livelihood, and suddenly the patrol attacked them, seized the phones, and we lost all trace of them.” She continued questioning their fate, saying: “We don’t know where our sons are or what happened to them. We just want reassurance that they are safe.”

The mother says the family spends long hours waiting for any call or piece of information, no matter how small, about her sons, adding: “We are not asking for anything except to know where they are and whether they are safe.”

The three young men are married and provide for their families and children, deepening the family’s anxiety amid the absence of any official clarification regarding their place of detention or their health condition. In this context, Ahmad Attiyeh’s wife recalled the first moments after news of the incident spread through the village, noting that the family had been waiting for him to return home for lunch before residents began circulating the news.

She added: “Since that moment, we have been living in constant anxiety. We contacted all the relevant parties, but no one has a clear answer, and the hardest part is that we know nothing.”

According to the family, information regarding the fate of the three young men remains scarce, amid the absence of any Israeli comment clarifying the circumstances of the operation or their place of detention. No official and conclusive information has been released so far, despite the family’s efforts to contact the concerned parties.

This incident is not the first of its kind in the villages of Arqoub, where previous cases of abduction and detention targeting farmers and shepherds have been recorded in the nearby areas of Kfar Shouba and Hebbariyeh. While some detainees in earlier incidents were released following international contacts and pressure, others remain missing, further deepening the fears of Halta’s residents today.

Iman Shebli, the wife of Shawqi Attiyeh, called on the Lebanese state and the concerned parties to act swiftly to determine the fate of the young men and secure their return. She said: “Until now, we do not know whether they are still inside Lebanese territory or have been taken into Israeli territory. We do not know if they are safe or what is happening to them.”

Iman explained that dire economic conditions had pushed her husband to work in these exposed agricultural lands despite the security risks, saying: “We are a family that lives off the land. If he does not work for even one day, we have no means to survive. We do not belong to any party; we are simply farmers trying to earn our daily bread.”

The family is living in a state of complete confusion amid the absence of a clear authority able to provide them with information. Iman added: “Every entity refers us to another. We contact the army, and they ask us to refer to the Red Cross or the municipality. Everyone promises to follow up, but so far, we have not received any real information."