Iran Captures Syrian Hostages in Lebanon

I've been watching the news all day, and nobody has said the magic words that I have been waiting for. The latest capture of Syrian hostages in Lebanon might have been carried out by the Mukdad clan, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the hands of Iran behind this. The capture of the forty Iranian revolutionary guards (retired, according to Iran) in Damascus a few weeks ago saw the biggest flurry of Iranian diplomatic activity in the region since I don't know when.

Why was it that after the capture of those Iranians that Iran held Turkey directly responsible, and warned the United States to release them? Note that one of the hostages taken in Lebanon is said to be a Turkish diplomat - that's yet to be confirmed - and there is also Qatari nationals. All this is not for one Lebanese guy captured in Damascus, nor for the Lebanese nationals that have been held captive near Aleppo for months. To think otherwise is folly. An Iranian official visiting Syria, a context set up, and a trap sprung. It was only a matter of time before some hothead in one of the many fragments of the FSA decided to capture some Lebanese man thinking he was a member of Hezbullah. After all, if Israel was ready to go to war with Lebanon in 2006, and the capture of the Israeli soldiers was used as a pretext, why shouldn't Iran apply the same approach in Lebanon today?

For years I have been blogging about Iran's methodical tit-for-tat kidnappings and operations, and this now has all the hallmarks. Of course, you will never find a direct link between the Mukdad clan and Hezbullah or Iran, but mark my words, those Syrian hostages will not be released if the Lebanese man held by the FSA is released. The Iranians want their own hostages released. The question is who are these people that the FSA has held, and why does Iran want them so badly above all else?

This brings us to why the FSA captured them, and who told them about these "pilgrims" in particular? And why did Iran warn the United States and hold it responsible?