Australian TV crew released from Lebanese prison

An Australian television crew has been released from a Lebanese prison, following a botched abduction and recovery effort of an Australian mother's children.

Charges against Australia's Nine Network television crew and the mother involved in the recovery effort were dropped on Wednesday, however they may be ordered back to the country at a later date, following their arrest on April 7, 2016.

Lebanese judge Rami Abdullah said the group was "free to leave Lebanon."

Nine Network chief executive Hugh Marks said in a statement on Thursday that it was an enormous relief.

"I would like to personally thank the Australian Government, the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Glenn Miles, and his consular staff in Beirut and staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra for their advice and assistance," Marks said.

"The crew has asked me to thank the officials in Lebanon who were involved in their detention for their professionalism and for treating them with dignity and respect."

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters on Thursday that she was pleased that the crew was on their way home to Australia.

CCTV footage aired on local media two weeks ago appeared to show the children being abducted by a group of masked men from their paternal grandmother and nanny on a Beirut street, and whisked into a waiting car. Endit