Lebanese soldier's relatives say killer is 'worthy of recognition'
In interview with Al Arabiya, cousin of wayward soldier reveals more details of shooter's life, says relative should be commended, returned to his family
Hanifa al-Hassan, cousin of the Lebanese soldier who shot and killed IDF Master Sergeant Shlomi Cohen on the Lebanese border, demanded the authorities in Beirut to release her family member.
During an Al Arabiya's morning interview on Thursday, al-Hassan said that "family members are astonished that he has been detained instead of being given national recognition."
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The shooter's family member, who resides in Australia, told the interviewer that the soldier, Hassan Ibrahim, married in 2010 and has three children, the last of which was born five days before the incident at the border. Al-Hassan complained that "he is detained at the Lebanese Defense Ministry since the incident and has not returned to his wife, two girls, and his little boy."
Al Arabiya published photographs of the Lebanese sniper, taken from the Facebook accounts of his relatives. According to the report, the shooter is a 27-year-old resident of Halba in northern Lebanon. His cousin also said he has been serving in the Lebanese military for 10 years.
The soldier's brother-in-law, Ahmed Al-Halbi, also opined on his relative's situation.
He said: "(He) contacts us sporadically on the phone, I intend to visit him this morning and then we'll know more about his condition."
Master Sergeant Shlomi Cohen, an Afula resident, was shot to death while driving an IDF vehicle near the outpost at Rosh HaNikra. An IDF investigation uncovered he was driving in an unarmored vehicle on a road exposed to the Lebanese firing line.
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