The sources pointed out that “the leaders of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa, arrested a number of these cadres and seized some of the arms shipments.” According to the sources, the smugglers use the same illegal border crossings used by Hezbollah for the past 10 years to smuggle Iranian arms from the Syrian regime

The sources noted that officers of the regime’s Syrian army have been facilitating the entry of the smuggled arms to the rebels in return bribes by the Hezbollah smugglers.

Lebanese security sources revealed also that “military units loyal to the Syrian government killed over the recent period a number of smugglers trying to deliver arms to the rebels in the town of Zabadani, close to the Syrian Lebanese border. In one case near Lebanon’s northern border, a number of Hezbollah members were arrested and a truck loaded with weapons was seized. In addition, Syrian forces arrested several Syrian officers, including one colonel, who were involved in the operation.

In a related development, a former member of the Amal movement revealed that “there are senior political figures in the Syrian ruling Baath Party who are involved in the arms smuggling to the rebels. The main sources of these illegal weapons are Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. Senior bankers, businessmen and traders contribute to financing the purchase of weapons and smuggling into Syria. They choose to make this in order to secure their future in the event of the success of the revolution and the downfall of the (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad. ”

Source: Al Bawaba

The council wants the cabinet to come up with a fourth draft on wages for consideration .

On Friday there were reports that the Shura council described the cabinet’s decision on wage hikes as “illegal”

The Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and Amal dealt a blow to PM Najib Mikati on December 22 after voting in favor of a wage boost decree proposed by Nahhas hours after the Economic Committees and the General Labor Confederation agreed with minor changes to the previously approved proposal made by the PM.

The new cabinet decision calls for raising the minimum wage to LL868,000 from the current LL500,000 – a whopping 74% .

Workers earning less than LL1.5 million receive an 18 percent increase while salaries between LL1.5 million and LL2.5 million receive an additional 10 percent on the second salary bracket.

The raise is retroactive to Dec. 1, 2011.

The voting in favor of the proposal was seen by observers as an attempt by Hezbollah, FPM and Amal to deal a blow to Mikati who on Dec. 7 suggested another wage hike mechanism that received the approval of the Shura Council with minor amendments.

What is surprising according to observers is the fact that General Labor Confederation and the Economic Committees agreed ahead of cabinet session on a LL675,000 minimum wage deal and the GLC chief Ghassan Ghosn was happy about it and called off the strike.

Earlier this month the minimum wage was raised by the cabinet to 600,000 LL, but the labor Union was not happy with the increase and called for a strike .

“In the name of the Lebanese government, we strongly condemn the inhumane criminal attack on Syria,” Mansour was quoted as telling Mouallem.

The National News Agency reported that the Lebanese minister “assured Mouallem of Lebanon’s solidarity with Syria.”

Friday’s bombings resulted in the death of over 44 and the wounding of over 100 .

Lebanon’s political scene is bitterly divided between those who support the Syrian regime and those who support the pro- democracy revolt.

Last October , March 14 MP Ahmad Fatfat commented on the activities of Mansour by saying: “We don’t know any longer who is Lebanon’s Foreign affairs minister and who is the Syrian ambassador “adding” we also don’t know if the position of the foreign minister represents the stance of the government .”

Mansour is a member of the Amal Movement a close ally of the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah militants.

Both Hezbollah and Amal are staunch allies of Syria and have been supportive of the Syrian regime in its crackdown against the pro-democracy protesters .

Over 6200 Syrians were killed since the uprising began last March 15 according to Human rights organizations

He told As-Sharq radio station ” Our experience during the past few months clearly shows that this cabinet was formed by the Iranian -Syrian axis with Aoun’s help , but sad to say that Aoun is blindly pursuing his old dreams of totalitarianism, which did not leave him, not when he was leading the country into civil war and not after the alliance with his former executioners. ”

The minsters of the Change and Reform bloc which is headed by Aoun boycotted yesterday’s cabinet session. Aoun later told OTV in a phone interview that his ministers boycotted the cabinet session in response to (PM Nagib) Mikati’s interview with LBC .

Mikati told LBC on Thursday that he would resign if his government fails to secure funding for a UN-backed court set up to probe the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Commenting on the situation in Syria Hamadeh ruled out any military intervention there .

“No military intervention will take place in Syria”

He also said that “Hezbollah and the Amal Movement have started to seriously to consider the possibility the fall of the Syrian regime and the repercussions of the fall on Lebanon.”

“What is taking place in Syria is an international conspiracy that targets Syria for its position as a rejectionist state as well as its supportive policies to Arab and Islamic resistance movements, especially in Palestine,” t said the statement.

This statement comes after the United States urged Lebanese authorities to protect their financial sector against potential Syrian attempts to sidestep sanctions, sparking fears that Beirut could be in the lineup of possible future measures against the Assad regime.

This statement also comes 2 days after Hezbollah and the Amal Movement officials met on Saturday and reiterated their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, in a statement following their meeting.

“We will not forget Syria’s support of Lebanon and backing of our right to have a Resistance against years of Israeli occupation,” the Shiite parties said in a statement

The statement added that “gambling… on the failed US project in the Middle East will be fruitless ”.

Hezbollah and Amal also reiterated their support for Iran, as pressure mounts on the Islamic state over its nuclear program.

“We firmly support the Islamic Republic of Iran against all American and Israeli threats,” the statement said.

Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah warned recently that any attack on either Syria or Iran would drown the rest of the region into conflict.

The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership last week and rejected over the weekend amendments proposed by Damascus on the monitoring mission by the Arab organization aimed at ending the crisis in that country.

Over 4,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the crackdown by Syrian security forces against the pro-democracy protesters since the uprising began last March 15 according to Human Rights organizations.

“We will not forget Syria’s support of Lebanon and backing of our right to have a Resistance against years of Israeli occupation,” the Shiite parties said

The statement added that “gambling… on the failed US project in the Middle East will be fruitless ”

Both parties also said that “threats against Syria serve the Zionist enemy.”

Youth Coalition of the Syrian Revolution leader Wahid Saqr accused last August Hezbollah group of having deployed armed militias in Syria, assisting the regime there in its brutal crackdown against the pro-democracy protesters

The UN said more than 3,500 people have been killed by the Syrian regime in its crackdown since mid-March.

Aoun reportedly faced strong objections from his own allies Hezbollah and Amal who insisted that he should be Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim a Shiite.

According to Speaker Nabih Berri sources a deal has already been made on this appointment.

The appointment will be announced during the cabinet session on Monday according to reports.

Al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai slammed the President Michel Suleiman and Aoun over their stances on Christians’ positions at public institutions, who said that no one is keen on the appointment of Ibrahim as the head of General security.

The position was most recently held by the late General Wafik Jezzini, a Shiite who passed away last March after suffering from a terminal illness. Jezzini like his predecessor Jamil Al Sayed was very closely associated with Hezbollah ).  Sayed , who is also a Shiite was one of Syria’s top operatives in Lebanon from 1998-2005, when he was imprisoned in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri .

The session was chaired by President Michel Suleiman, the report also said, adding that there are 73 items on the cabinet’s agenda.

Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati met before the session convened, the report added.

The cabinet renewed the mandate of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and appointed Maj. Gen. Walid Salman as the new Army Chief of Staff replacing Maj. Gen. Shawqi al-Masri who has retired

Dr. Antoine Shoqair was also appointed as the director general of the Presidency of the Republic.

The cabinet reportedly postponed the appointment of a new chief for the General Directorate of General Security.

“The appointment of army intelligence chief Abbas Ibrahim as the new head of General Security has not been included in the cabinet’s agenda Thursday,” reported Al-Hayat earlier on Thursday.

The necessary conditions to discuss the appointment have not been provided amid reports that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai is keen on restoring this position to the Maronite sect.

According to Nahar up until 1998, the position of General Security chief had long been assumed by a Christian figure, but former President Emile Lahoud, appointed a Shiite to the position .

Ministerial sources told the al Hayat that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has also echoed the position of the Patriarch but avoided bringing up this issue in order to avert a dispute with Hezboullah and AMAL Movement, which both support the appointment of Ibrahim, a Shiite, to the post.

Al-Hayat reported that Aoun settled the matter by proposing the appointment of a Christian as deputy General Security chief.

Lebanese Forces bloc MP George Adwan said on Thursday that the General Security chief must be “agreed upon by all parties” and close to President Michel Suleiman.

Adwan also told MTV that the General Security chief is responsible for the borders and for controlling who enters and who leaves the country, adding that the latter is also responsible for the foreigners present in Lebanon.

Commenting on the allocation of an additional minister to the Sunnis , Hubeish said ” Hezbollah and Amal gave up one minister to control the whole cabinet adding “after all this is a Hezbollah cabinet no matter who is in it”

Tripoli was represented by PM Nagib Mikati, Mohammad Safadi, Faisal Karami and Ahmad Karami.

He accused Hariri of wanting to take the country centuries back

His attack comes days after his boss Speaker Nabih Berri said that the 2005 Cedar Revolution “took Lebanon 60 years back.”

“The Cedar Revolution took us 60 years back, led to the spending of public funds, increased national debt and favored the atmosphere for more foreign interference,” Berri , a key ally of the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah group said in a reference to the March 14 coalition, which was named after the largest demonstration of the Cedar revolution.