Maaloula nuns arrive to Syria

Nuns of St. Thecla monastery in Maaloula, who were abducted by terrorist group last December, have reached the Syrian borders with Lebanon at 1:30 am on Monday coming from the Lebanese lands.
Upon the arrival of the 13 nuns and the three maids, Head of the monastery mother Blajaa Sayyaf expressed thanks to President Bashar al-Assad for the efforts exerted as to make the process a success.
She also thanked Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X Yazigi and Lebanon’s General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim for their effective role.
In turn, Damascus Countryside Governor Hussein Makhlouf said that the presence of Islamic and Christian clergymen together proves that all of the Syrians are united and there is no difference among the them.
Earlier, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim said that the nuns were with the Lebanese security forces and heading to Syria, expressing gratitude to President Bashar al-Assad for providing all what was needed as to complete the operation, adding that the process would not have been successful had President al-Assad had not provided such facilitations.
Ibrahim said that the most serious obstacle was that the abductees have changed their conditions several times.
Bishop Luke Khoury, Assistant to the Patriarch of Roman Orthodox Church, said that releasing the nuns was successful due to the effort of the good people in Syrian and Lebanon, adding that What the Syrian army achieved in Yabroud facilitated this process.
The nuns were kidnapped by terrorist group on December 2nd . The terrorists sabotaged the monastery and abducted the nuns before moving them to an unidentified place.
Islamic and Christian clergymen in addition to Governor Makhlouf and popular delegations received the nuns at Jdedat Yabous border crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese lands.