MP Raad expresses Hezbollah's concern over abduction of Turkish nationals

Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc MP Mohammad Raad met on Wednesday with the Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Inan Ozyildiz and discussed with him the latest developments regarding the kidnapping incident of 2 Turkish nationals in Lebanon.           

Following the meeting, MP Raad expressed his party's concern over the mentioned incident, adding that officials are exerting tireless efforts in order to release the Turkish Airlines' pilot and co-pilot as well as the Lebanese detainees in Syria's Aazaz.                                  

For his part, the Turkish diplomat stressed that Turkey is also putting forth efforts in a bid to expedite the release of the Aazaz hostages.                  

The Turkish diplomat's meeting with MP Mohammad Raad came a few hours after a Turkish delegation met with caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and discussed with him the same files.          

During the meeting, the delegation agreed with Minister Charbel on holding another meeting in Turkey to discuss the aforementioned issues, expressing its readiness to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities in order to reach an end in regards to the kidnapping of the Lebanese pilgrims in Syria and the detention of Turkish nationals in Beirut.

On Friday the 9th of August, gunmen intercepted a Turkish Airlines' bus at the Cocodi Bridge in Beirut and kidnapped two crew members, a pilot and a co-pilot. The bus carrying the crew members was heading from the Beirut International Airport towards a hotel in Ain El-Mrayseh.      

The incident triggered a chain of reactions mainly from the Turkish side, the most prominent being the call launched by the Turkish foreign ministry on its nationals to leave Lebanon.                   

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 22nd of May. Only two have so far been released.        

Their families have vowed to continue their movements until all their loved ones have returned home "safe and sound".              

They accuse Ankara of sponsoring the kidnapping and the Lebanese government of inaptness in this regard.