Syrian releases fishermen and body of teenager

Syrian authorities released the Lebanese fishermen Fady and Khalid Hamad with the body of their nephew Maher (16 years), at 1 am on Sunday, following 20 hours of their abduction from Lebanese waters, North Lebanon. Sources at the presidential palace told ‘Arabstoday’ that the release was the product of intensive communication conducted last night between senior Syrian and Lebanese officials, under the direction of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. Hours after the incident, President Sleiman, who condemned the firing on the fishermen that resulted in the death of Hamad, urged the Syrian government to release the kidnapped men as soon as possible and stressed the need for both countries' sovereignty to be respected. According to his press office, the president also urged both Lebanon and Syria to bolster coordination in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Families of the fishermen were informed at midnight (Saturday – Sunday) of the release, which took place at 1 am. Families headed to the Abbodeiyeh crossing accompanied by large numbers of Arida residents and people from surrounding villages, to receive the two brothers Fady and Khaled, while a Civil Defense vehicle transported the body of the teenager.