Prime Minister Najib Miqati postponed Thursday’s cabinet session at Baabda Palace to avoid a showdown between the bickering parties over the $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending of 2011, sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Friday that Miqati’s decision came against the backdrop of disputes between Hizbullah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement on one side and the centrists on the other on how to legalize the spending.

Israeli troops on Thursday crossed the Blue Line while constructing the border wall that they started building on April 30, reported the National News Agency.

It said that the forces crossed 65 centimeters into Lebanese territory near Kfar Kila as they were attempting to expand the border wall beyond the measurements that had been agreed upon.

The Musatqbal bloc hailed on Thursday the security forces for their interception on Friday of a ship that was smuggling weapons to Syria.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We hope that the interception of the ship would pave the way to the confiscation of weapons that are being smuggling into Lebanon through various crossings.”

Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Thursday that the resistance will maintain its policies and current line of action, announced the party in a statement.

He said after holding talks with visiting Iranian Vice President Mohammed Reza Rahimi: “The resistance is capable of confronting all upcoming challenges.”

Iranian Vice President Mohammed Reza Rahimi voiced on Thursday his country’s readiness to establish cooperation agreements between the Islamic republic and Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with President Michel Suleiman: “Iran is completely committed to supporting Lebanon.”

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon tweeted on Thursday a reminder that Friday is the deadline for the Defense to file motions challenging the jurisdiction of the Tribunal over the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It said via Twitter: “This will be another milestone towards trial in the case of Ayyash et al.”

The Lebanese Forces on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Energy Minister Jebran Bassil on charges of criminal defamation, the party announced in a statement.

It said that it filed the lawsuit over the minister’s remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper on April 23 in which he accused the March 14 forces of “preparing to kick off a new wave of political assassinations in Lebanon.”

Traffic was halted for two hours at Rafik Hariri International Airport as employees joined the strike of the General Labor Confederation, causing delays in several flights.

The National News Agency said seven departing and arriving flights were affected by the strike of Middle East Airlines employees that started at 11:00 am.

A cabinet session that was scheduled to be held at Baabda Palace on Thursday was postponed despite Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel’s pledges to hold the meeting to settle controversial issues.

“It is necessary to hold it to settle several important issues,” Moqbel told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) ahead of the postponement announcement.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat held Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui responsible for halting the investigations concerning the attempted assassination of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

Jumblat told al-Akhbar newspaper that Sehnaoui is responsible for preventing the security authorities from acquiring the telecom data to continue the probe into Geagea’s murder attempt.