Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on officials on Sunday to assume their responsibilities in protecting the citizens’ security and that of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

He said during his Sunday sermon: “They should work seriously in limiting the possession of arms in Lebanon to the legitimate security forces and leave all defense and security decisions to the political authorities.”

Hizbullah criticized on Saturday military tribunal judge Alice Shabtini’s decision to release six convicted Israeli spies, questioning her motives and deeming the incident as a dangerous development, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

The Hizbullah-backed al-Manar television station reported: “This is a dangerous precedent seeing as the accused only served a little more than a month of their 5 to 10-year sentences.”

President Michel Suleiman returned to Lebanon on Saturday from a three-day visit to Armenia where he met his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkissian and other officials.

He stressed the importance of the agreements between the two countries, praising the “major role Lebanese of Armenian origin play in all fields in Lebanon.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati is expected to meet with the Syndical Coordination Committee on Sunday in order to reach a solution to the wage hike crisis and persuade it to cancel its strike, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Circles close to the committee told the daily that it does not have any details about the meeting, stressing that the strike will take place as scheduled on Thursday.

The bomb that targeted the French unit in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on Friday was detonated a few moments before the soldiers arrived at the scene, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Security sources told the daily that casualties may have taken place had the bomb been detonated at the appropriate time, given the size and method in which it was detonated.

The Lebanese army succeeded on Sunday in releasing Ahmed Zeidan, one of the managers of dairy company Liban Lait who was kidnapped on Wednesday.

He was found in the outskirts of the town of Brital in the Bekaa, reported Future News on Sunday.

A Syrian woman who entered Lebanon overnight and sought treatment at a hospital died of gunshot wounds suffered in Syria, National News Agency reported on Saturday.

The 24-year-old woman was transferred to al-Salam Hospital in Qbayat on Saturday afternoon.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that the false witnesses issue will be tackled at the appropriate time.

“We’re merely waiting for the right time to tackle the issue as there are matters concerning the Judicial body that we need to resolve first,” Miqati said during an interview with al-Jazeera satellite channel.

A delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon arrived in Beirut for few hours to meet with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Central News Agency reported on Saturday.

The delegation thanked Charbel during the meeting for his cooperation with the tribunal probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel condemned on Saturday a roadside bomb attack in southern Lebanon that wounded five French peacekeepers.

“The terrorist attack aims at undermining stability and targeting the role carried out by France to fortify peace,” a statement issued by Gemayel’s press office said.