U.S. journalist Richard Engel, who was freed after being held hostage for five days in Syria, said Tuesday that his captors were taking him to an alleged Hizbullah stronghold when he was set free by rebels.

"This was a group known as the shabiha. This is a government militia. They are loyal to President (Bashar) Assad," Engel said about his captors.

Lebanese lawyer Rashad Salameh filed on Tuesday a lawsuit against al-Mustaqbal movement lawmaker Oqab Saqr for allegedly sending arms to Syrian rebels.

The lawyer agreed last week to file the lawsuit at the behest of Syrian authorities against several people allegedly involved in arming the Syrian opposition.

Two youths were wounded on Tuesday in a dispute that broke out at the Humanities Faculty of the Lebanese University in al-Fanar district north of Beirut, reported the National News Agency.

It said that Lebanese Forces students were distributing candy on the occasion of the holiday at the entrance of the university campus when the dispute broke out.

Head of Parliamentary Information Committee Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah confirmed on Tuesday reports that the U.S. army requested to establish a telecom station in Lebanon.

The lawmaker said in a press conference after chairing a meeting for the committee at the parliament that the committee members will thoroughly discuss the matter on Thursday in presence of Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati noted on Tuesday that the political divisions in Lebanon target the country's core values that have helped shape it throughout its history.

He said: “We are all obligated to steer Lebanon away from dangers that do not distinguish between pro- and anti-government factions.”

President Michel Suleiman urged Arab leaders on Tuesday to preserve minorities in their countries, saying Lebanon's newly-elected Greek Orthodox patriarch faces a tough task of defending Christians in the region.

“We congratulate the Lebanese and Arabs on the election of the new patriarch,” Suleiman told reporters at Our Lady of Balamand Monastery following a short meeting with Patriarch Youhanna X.

HSBC Bank won a tender to carry out maintenance work at Zouk and Jiyeh power plants instead of providing the funds from the state's treasury, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, the tender that was issued by the Energy Ministry is aimed at rehabilitating the two power plants that will be able to produce additional 272 megawatts at the cost of around $350 million.

Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi has said he accepted a proposal to extend his term but only for a transitional period, stressing that he rejected staying in office until his retirement age.

Al-Akhbar newspaper quoted, Rifi, 59, as saying that he agreed to extend his term for a year or two when President Michel Suleiman and ex-Premier Saad Hariri suggested the extension to him.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said on Tuesday that the large number of Syrian and Palestinian refugees entering Lebanon from the neighboring country became a burden on the state, urging the government to double its efforts to confront the humanitarian crisis.

According to As Safir newspaper, Jumblat called during talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris on Monday on the competent international agencies to cooperate to aid Lebanon in this matter.

The Lebanese opposition is planning to recognize Syria's National Coalition by the end of the year to set the stage for ties with “the future regime of Syria,” March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid and An Nahar daily said on Tuesday.

Soaid told An Nahar that it was necessary to reach understandings on the common border, mutual interests and previous agreements with the next regime in Syria.