The Syrian Committee for Human Rights says that Shibli al-Aisamy, an 86-year-old defector from Bashar al-Assad's ruling Baath party, has gone missing along with his wife in Lebanon.

The rights group has called on Lebanon not to hand him over to Syria.

A Lebanese security official has confirmed to the Associated Press that al-Aisamy disappeared on Tuesday after leaving a his house in the mountain town of Aley. The official said the search for al-Aisamy is continuing.