Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said Miqdad's father was seized from his home in the village of Ghossom in the southern province of Daraa -- cradle of the insurgency against the central government and scene of deadly clashes between terrorist and army soldiers.

Abdel Rahman was unable to say when the abduction took place, but he added that negotiations were underway to free Muqdad's father.

Miqdad is considered as the most powerful voice of the Syrian government which is struggling with a western-backed insurgency that has left thousands dead.

The insurgency which began in March 2011 as a protesting movement soon turned to be a cover for terrorist groups including al-Qaeda and al-Nusra Front.

The United States, Israel, UK and their allies as well as several Arab countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been supporting the armed insurgency in Syria, mulling ways to supply the militants with more arms to topple the legitimate government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A recent report by Financial Times said Qatar was the largest supplier of arms to terrorists in Syria having spent more than $3 billion to support the insurgents.

The article cited the Institute for Peace Research in Stockholm which tracks the arms supply to the Syrian rebels saying that “Qatar is the largest arms exporter to Syria, where it funded more than 70 cargo flights of weapons to neighboring Turkey between April 2012 and March 2013.”