Najib Miqati.Davutoglu told Miqati that the pilgrims are doing well and that they were on their way to Beirut, according to a statement issued by Miqati's office.
For his part, Speaker Nabih
KnobbyBerri
Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet...
received a telephone call from former Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too.
confirming the development.
Head of Syria's opposition Ahrar Party Ibrahim al-Zohbi also confirmed the release to al-Jadeed television.
He said that they were handed to Turkish authorities, adding that they were released without any conditions.
Thousands of people erupted into the streets and celebratory gunshots were fired in Beirut's southern suburbs at the news of the release.
The pilgrims will be transported from Turkey to Leb on board Hariri's private jet, state-run National News Agency reported.
NNA said Hariri's plane arrived at Turkey's Adana Airport at around 7:15 p.m. and that routine procedures had started ahead of the plane's takeoff.
On Tuesday, Leb's state news agency NNA said the pilgrims were kidnapped in northern Syria as they made their way home from a pilgrimage in Iran and accused the rebel Free Syrian Army of having kidnapped them.
The FSA denied the claim.
On Thursday the rebel army said it was making "every effort" to locate and release the pilgrims.
It was not immediately clear in what circumstances the pilgrims were freed.