Kuwait on Thursday appealed to its nationals to leave Syria and refrain from travelling there because of safety concerns amid a deadly eight-month crackdown on democracy protests.

"The foreign ministry calls on citizens currently present in Syria to leave for their own safety," it said in a statement quoted by the state-run KUNA news agency.

Kuwait's public prosecutor on Thursday ordered the release on bail of 24 youth activists who had been held in detention over the storming of parliament last month, their lawyer said.

"A decision has just been issued to release all the 24 people on a bail of 1,000 dinars ($3,600) each," al-Humaidi al-Subaie, who heads the legal defense team of the activists, told Agence France Presse.

Millions of dollars have been deposited suspiciously into the bank accounts of 15 Kuwaiti MPs suspected of money laundering, reports citing informed sources said on Thursday.

The central bank had told prosecutors that bank accounts held by the 15 lawmakers "have received suspicious deposits and the anti-money laundering law applies to them,"al-Jarida newspaper reported.

Kuwait's ruler on Wednesday appointed Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah as the new prime minister of the oil-rich Gulf state, state-run Kuwait Television announced.

"An emiri decree was issued appointing Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah as prime minister," the report said.

Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah is expected to be named the new prime minister on Wednesday before parliament is likely to be dissolved, a lawmaker said.

"Sheikh Jaber is expected to be named by the leadership to be the next prime minister and lead what is likely to be a transitional government to oversee the election," opposition Islamist MP Falah al-Sawwagh told Agence France Presse.

The government of oil-rich Kuwait resigned on Monday following a bitter dispute with opposition MPs, lawmaker Khaled al-Sultan said.

"The Kuwaiti cabinet has resigned and the resignation has been accepted by the emir," the Islamist opposition MP told reporters outside parliament.

Kuwait's ruler will chair an emergency meeting of the cabinet on Monday amid strong indications he will accept the resignation of the government and dissolve parliament, local media reported.

The reports come amid plans by the opposition to stage a mass rally Monday night to press for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family.

Kuwait's public prosecutor on Sunday extended the detention of 24 opposition activists for three weeks pending trial for storming parliament while freeing seven others on bail, their lawyer said.

Thousands of supporters meanwhile camped outside the palace of justice for the fourth night in a row in solidarity with the detainees ahead of an opposition mass rally on Monday to press for the government's resignation.

Some 20 Kuwaiti opposition activists detained for storming parliament went on hunger strike on Friday to protest against "illegal and oppressive detention," and maltreatment.

The announcement came in a statement posted on Twitter by the activists' supporters immediately after the public prosecutor extended the detention of 31 activists until Saturday for further investigation.

Kuwait on Thursday remanded in custody 24 opposition activists pending further investigation on charges they stormed the parliament building last week, their lawyer said.

"After interrogation all night, the public prosecutor this morning remanded them in police custody until Thursday night when questioning will resume," said Al-Humaidi al-Subaie, coordinator of the opposition defense team.