Adnan Mansur, Lebanon's foreign minister, said on Wednesday that a group of Lebanese ShiaMuslims kidnapped in Syria would be freed "within hours."

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah earlier urged restraint after Tuesday's kidnappings sparked protests by thousands of people here.

"According to information provided by an Arab country those kidnapped will be free within hours," Mansur told Al-Jadeed, a private satellite television station.

He identified the men behind the abductions as "a splinter group of the armed Syrian opposition," but did not give details.

-- AFP

To go to the related article, click here.