Syrian authorities have released a US citizen and he has been handed back to his family, thanks to the mediation of Lebanon.
A Lebanese security official did not reveal the name of the released American, but said it was not Austin Tice, a journalist who disappeared in Syria in 2012.
The New York Times and The Washington Post identified the released 30-year-old man as Sam Goodwin.
"We are grateful to be reunited with our son Sam," Goodwin's parents, Thomas and Ann Goodwin, said in a statement. "Sam is healthy and with his family."
"We are forever indebted to Lebanese General (Security chief Maj. Gen.) Abbas Ibrahim and to all others who helped secure the release of our son," they said. "We will have more to say at a later date. Right now, we appreciate our privacy as we reconnect with Sam."
According to the Post, Goodwin was last seen on May 25 in the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria after crossing from Turkey as part of his bid to visit every country in the world.
Several US citizens have been held in Syria since the war began there in 2011, including people held by extremist groups such as ISIS.
The United States has declined to say who it believes is holding Tice, but has said it believes he is alive and has sought the help of the Syrian regime’s close ally Russia to free him.
Last year the family of another American, Majd Kamalmaz, told the New York Times that he had disappeared at a regime checkpoint in Damascus in 2017.
Last month Ibrahim flew to Iran to complete the release and repatriation of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen with permanent residency in the United States who was detained there in 2015.
