Syrian Islamist: We are mediating the release of Lebanese abductees who are well and safe

Head of Free People of Syria group Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zoaby said on Thursday that he was mediating the release of Lebanese Shi'ite men kidnapped in Syria two days ago.            

"They are well and safe, we are trying to secure their release, but the Syrian army shelling of the area has been blocking it so far," Zoaby told Reuters.         

Zoaby said the kidnappers will issue a video or recording of the kidnapped men soon to show they were well. He said the kidnappers want to hand the men to the Lebanese authorities.     

Meanwhile, the official spokesperson for the joint command of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Qassem Saad al-Deen, said that he is sparing to effort to find the Lebanese men kidnapped in Aleppo on Tuesday, stressing that his units have nothing to do with it.        

He voiced his astonishment over the involvement of some Lebanese parties in acts against the Syrian people and the Syrian revolution, adding that many Syrians who are supporting the revolution in Lebanon have been subject to persecution, abduction and murder.         

In Dahiyeh, parents of the Lebanese abductees are desperately waiting to know the fate of their sons amid ongoing contacts in this regard.           

Though the relatives are receiving reassurances on the fate of their sons, they are concerned about the passage of time that does not serve their interest, as they said.           

LBCI’s camera entered the residences of the abductees’ relatives in Dahiyeh who urged that the fate of their sons be revealed immediately, thanking all those who have shown solidarity.          

It turned out that no distinction was made between young men and older men who were abducted; only those considered to be a burden on the abductors were released.