At least one Lebanese hostage in Syria to be released

BEIRUT: At least one, and possibly three, of 10 Lebanese pilgrims held hostage in Syria will be released in the coming few hours,  mediators said.

A mediator, who requested he remained anonymous, told The Daily Star early on Tuesday that three men would be released, identifying them as Awad Ibrahim, Ali Termos, Khalil Saleh.

The Sunni Committee of Muslim Scholars of Lebanon, which had been mediating in the crisis, earlier said one hostage would be released. Sheikh Salem Rifai identified the hostage as Ibrahim in a telephone interview with New TV.

Eleven Shiite Lebanese men were abducted near Aleppo in May while returning from a pilgrimage in Iran. Hussein Ali Omar, one of the 11 pilgrims, was released in August. Omar was released under a deal reached with the Committee of Muslim Scholars of Lebanon.

The hostages were kidnapped in the Aleppo district of Azaz on May 22, shortly after crossing into Syria from Turkey. They were on their way back to Lebanon following a pilgrimage to Shiite holy sites in Iran.