Released Iranian hostages are welcomed upon his arrival at the Sheraton Hotel in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 9, 2013. As many as 2,130 people were released from Syrian prisons in exchange of 48 kidnapped Iranians, a Turkish human rights activist told Xinhua Wednesday. In last August, a total of 48 Iranians were abducted by Syrian rebels in Damascus. Iran claimed them to be pilgrims, while the Syrian rebels alleged that they were Iranian military officials in Syria. [Xinhua]