Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati received on late Tuesday evening a phone call from his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who extended his gratitude for the release of a Turkish hostage in Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati received on late Tuesday evening a phone call from his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who extended his gratitude for the release of a Turkish hostage in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported.

Aydin Tufan Tekin was freed in Beirut on Tuesday, after a failed bid by the Lebanese army to rescue him earlier in the day, AFP cited Turkish and Lebanese sources as saying.

Miqati told Erdogan that Tekin was “like all Lebanese citizens,” adding that Lebanon’s government made all possible efforts to free him, local NowLebanon news website said.

The Lebanese PM also voiced his hope that Ankara would continue its efforts to free Lebanese people abducted in Syria. 
Miqati had received a phone call from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for the same reason, the NNA also reported.

Lebanon’s Miqdad clan kidnapped Tekin and 20 Syrians in southern Beirut last month as collateral for the release of a relative, Hassan al-Miqdad, who was allegedly kidnapped in Damascus by Syrian rebels.

A group that said it belonged to the so-called free Syrian army (FSA) claimed responsibility for the abduction of Hassan al-Miqdad in Damascus.

Another 10 Lebanese pilgrims have been held captive in northern Syria since May.