Abducted Lebanese land at Beirut airport

Nine Lebanese pilgrims, abducted in Syria 17 months ago, returned safely in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Saturday night. A Qatari plane carrying the freed Lebanese landed in Rafic Hariri International airport in Beirut around 10:30 p.m.. "This is a victory for Lebanon. We thank Qatar, Turkey and ( Syrian) President (Bashar al-)Assad who facilitated this mission. We have a lot more to do," Lebanon's General Security Director General Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim told reporters at the airport. Earlier in the day, Lebanon's caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed that the pilgrims will arrive in Lebanon on Saturday night accompanied by Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled Al Atiya and Lebanon's General Security Director Ibrahim. Meanwhile, two Turkish pilots, abducted in Lebanon over two months ago, took off from Beirut airport on their way to Turkey. Syrian rebels kidnapped 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria's Aleppo in May 2012 when they returned from a religious trip to the holy sites in Iran. Two of the pilgrims were released shortly after they were kidnapped. On Aug. 9, 2013, two Turkish pilots were kidnapped in Beirut. A group named "Zuwar Al Rida," which was previously unheard of, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and demanded the release of Lebanese pilgrims in exchange for the release of Turkish pilots.