Hariri Congratulates Lebanese Businessmen on Their Release, Hails Efforts Exerted

Prime Minister Saad Hariri congratulated three Lebanese men on their liberation over the weekend after their abduction a week earlier in Iraq, Hariri's media office said in a statement on Monday.

Hariri contacted one of the former abductees, businessman Imad al-Khatib, congratulating him along with the two other Lebanese, Nader Hamadeh and George Batrouni, on their safe release, said the statement.

Hariri conveyed his gratitude “to all those who had worked and contributed to the release of the Lebanese citizens, expressing appreciation for the Iraqi government and intelligence chief for their cooperation and concern in liberating them from their captors.”

He also praised the Lebanese security apparatuses for their “relentless efforts to ensure the safe release of the abductees.”

Three Lebanese men kidnapped in Iraq were liberated at dawn Sunday in a "joint operation" carried out by Lebanese and Iraqi intelligence agencies.

The three men, who were abducted by a gang last Sunday upon their arrival in Baghdad, were expected to arrive in Beirut at 2:30 pm, according to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).

The security operation, which was carried out by Iraqi intelligence, resulted in the arrest of some captors and the death of one of them, while the rest of the gang's members are being pursued.