Syria releases kidnapped Lebanese farmers

Syrian authorities have released two Lebanese farmers kidnapped last Wednesday by unidentified gunmen in Lebanon's north and taken across the border into Syria, the Lebanese army said.

A statement from the army said Mohammed Yassin Merei and Mahdi Hamdan had been released on Sunday afternoon and handed to the Lebanese intelligence at the Masnaa border crossing. It gave no details on who abducted the men and how they ended up in Syrian custody. (Reuters)