By AFP TEHRAN Iran's foreign ministry on Saturday appealed for the release of 48 of its citizens held hostage by rebels in Syria and threatened with execution one by one unless Syria's army withdraws from an area in Damascus province. The statement, relayed by the official news agency IRNA, described the captives as "pilgrims." The Syrian ...

By The Daily Star BEIRUT: Syrian rebels holding dozens of Iranian hostages since August and who threatened to execute them by Sunday have temporarily postponed their killing, a Free Syrian Army spokesman told AFP. Contact has been established with the Turkish authorities as part of indirect negotiations between the FSA and the Syrian and Iranian ...

By Today's Zaman Turkey, which Iran has called on for assistance to secure the release of 48 Iranian hostages being held by Syrian opposition forces, is working closely for the resolution of the issue, a Turkish official has said. A senior Turkish official who spoke to Today's Zaman on the condition of anonymity stated that Turkey would do ...

By The Daily Star BEIRUT: Rebel fighters will execute dozens of Iranians they kidnapped in August unless Syria's army withdraws from the embattled Eastern Ghuta area of Damascus province, a rebel commander said on Friday. "We gave the regime 48 hours starting yesterday to withdraw completely from the Eastern Ghuta area," Abul Wafa, commander ...