Diplomatic sources in Ankara told Assafir Lebanese daily that coordination between Qatar, Turkey and Lebanon is on way to release the Lebanese military personnel kidnapped by ISIL in Arsal.

Diplomatic sources in Ankara told Assafir Lebanese daily that the chief of Turkish intelligence Hakan Fidan, the chief of Qatari intelligence Ghanem Khalifa Al Kubaisi, and the General Director of Lebanese General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim have entered crisis line of the Lebanese military prisoners kidnapped by terrorist groups in eastern Lebanon.

Armed terrorist groups affiliated with the so-called Al-Nusra Front, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Dawn of Islam Brigade clashed with the Lebanese army in the barrens of Arsal, north-east of Lebanon, leaving more than 20 soldiers killed and around 23 others kidnapped and missing.

The new diplomatic step between the trio is based on a political decision made by the leaderships of Turkey and Qatar in coordination with the Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam and head Al-Mustaqbal party, Saad Hariri.

Sources said that Ibrahim met Fidan in Ankara along with some of his aides three days ago, before he left to Doha to meet Kubaisi.

Assafir reported that Kubaisi delivered the directions of Qatari Emir to provide the Lebanese cabinet with every possible means to release the kidnapped prisoners.

Sources made it clear that mechanisms have been set to start a swap deal, based on submitting a list of the Lebanese prisoners' names, where a Lebanese-Qatari-Turkish joint committee - containing a number of officers - to be founded in order follow up the case in details.

Moreover, the sources asserted that the Lebanese negotiator has set a condition in this regard, which is the refusal of any exchange of prisoners by the terrorists jailed in Roumieh.