Hezbollah member, al-Qaeda militants freed in Syria prisoner exchange

A member of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement kidnapped in Syria by al-Qaeda’s affiliate there has been freed in exchange for the release of two militants held by the Shiite group.

"Following weeks of talks with the abductors, Emad Ayyad was freed on Tuesday in exchange for the release of two militants held by Hezbollah," the group's television channel reported.

The statement did not identify the two militants or the name of the Syrian group that had been holding Ayyad or mention how long he had been kept captive.

A source close to Hezbollah told The Anadolu Agency that Ayyad had been held by the Al-Nusra Front in Syria.

Another member of Hezbollah, meanwhile, flatly denied any Al-Nusra involvement in the deal, referring instead to Ayyad's kidnappers as "gunmen in Qalamun", a Syrian region bordering Lebanon.

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Hezbollah is allied to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and has sent thousands of fighters to support his army's bid to quell a nearly four-year revolt across the country.

The Lebanese group has played a key role in fighting around Damascus, especially in Qalamun.

The prisoner swap comes as Qatar-mediated talks try to secure freedom for 27 Lebanese soldiers held hostage by Al-Nusra and the Islamic State jihadist group since August after a fierce battle for the border town of Arsal.

Three soldiers held by Al-Nusra and IS have already been executed.