Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday condemned the abduction of 16 Lebanese Shiite Muslim pilgrims in Syria’s Aleppo, expressing his “full solidarity with their families” and demanding their “immediate release.”

“We condemn the kidnapping of our Lebanese brothers in Syria, regardless of the party behind the kidnapping, and we call for their immediate release,” Hariri said in a statement released by his press office.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged restraint on Tuesday after a group of Shiite Muslim Lebanese men were kidnapped by rebels in Syria while returning home from a pilgrimage in Iran.

"I call on everyone to show restraint," Nasrallah said in televised address after protesters blocked roads in Beirut’s southern suburbs to condemn the kidnap operation.

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc noted on Tuesday that the government has demonstrated in the past few months a “complete inability to maintain the security of the people.”

It demanded in a statement after its weekly meeting “Prime Minister Najib Miqati to immediately resign in order for stability to be restored in Lebanon.”

The rebel Free Syrian Army on Tuesday abducted 16 Lebanese men in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo who were on their way back from a pilgrimage trip to Iran.

“Buses belonging to the Badr al-Kobra and Jannat al-Redwan pilgrimage campaigns were ambushed in Aleppo shortly after crossing the Syrian-Turkish border,” al-Jadeed television reported.

Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun slammed on Tuesday the sides that criticized the army’s role in the Kweikhat incident that led to the death of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed on Sunday, saying that they will regret their words.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “It’s unacceptable to arrest the soldiers after the incident.”

Saudi King Abdullah stated on Tuesday that the kingdom is monitoring the situation in Lebanon with “deep concern” following the clashes in Tripoli, “especially since they targeted a main sect in the country.”

He said in a cable to President Michel Suleiman: “We look forward to you ending the crisis, which may spiral into sectarian strife.”

Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem contacted on Tuesday Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani to condole him over the murder of Sheikhs Ahmed Abdul Wahed and Mohammed Merheb.

He stressed the need to “support the army in its mission to protect civil peace and security in Lebanon.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Tuesday that he will continue on assuming his responsibilities.

He said before reporters in the northern city of Tripoli: “There are no problems in referring Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and Mohammed Mereb’s murders to the judicial council.”

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel called on Tuesday for a state of political emergency to find an exit to the fighting between pro- and anti-Syrian regime supporters in Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli.

“Street battles will continue if politicians do not reach an agreement,” Charbel warned.

President Michel Suleiman stressed on Tuesday that there are no dangers in Lebanon that can prevent Arab nationals from visiting the country.

He said: “Lebanon is keen on the safety of the visiting nationals.”