Rebels seize 4 employees, Syrian pro-regime TV station says

BEIRUT – A pro-government Syrian TV station says four of its employees have been kidnapped while on assignment in a suburb of the capital Damascus.

Imad Sarah, who is general manager of Al-Ikhbariya station, says that the four were seized Friday in al-Tal suburb north of Damascus by an armed group as they were covering events in the area.

The area has witnessed shelling and clashes between government troops and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, including on Saturday.

Al-Ikhbariya and other pro-government Syrian TV stations have often come under attack during the course of the 17-month uprising in Syria. A bomb blast struck the headquarters of Syrian state TV in Damascus this week, wounding several employees.