U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has said that Hizbullah’s arms have become the backbone of political differences in Lebanon that would have negative consequences on all the Lebanese.

In his 14th report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559, Ban said the weapons were creating an atmosphere of intimidation and were a direct challenge to the safety of civilians and a monopoly on the right of the government to use force.

Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin stressed on Thursday that his country’s stance on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri “hasn’t changed.”

“We participated in funding it, but we are against politicizing (the tribunal),” he told An Nahar newspaper.

Ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat clashed during a cabinet session on Wednesday in what was seen as an attempt by the representatives of the FPM to exact revenge on the PSP ministers for scrutinizing Energy Minister Jebran Bassil’s electricity project.

During a lengthy session held at the Grand Serail, Bassil asked Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi, who is loyal to Jumblat, to unveil all projects carried out by his ministry, ministerial sources told An Nahar daily on Thursday.

General Prosecutor Saeed Mirza handed on Wednesday a monthly report on the search for the four suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri to a delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, reported the National News Agency.

Four Hizbullah members, Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi, and Assad Sabra have been accused of being involved in the assassination.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned on Wednesday the parliamentary majority against ignoring the will of the majority of the Lebanese people regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with MP Fouad Saad: “The current majority’s ongoing tampering with the issue of the funding of the STL will awaken the dormant strife.”

France condemned on Wednesday the Syrian army’s repeated incursions into Lebanese territory.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Syria should respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.

A court in the Algerian capital Algiers is expected to look into the case of an Algerian money laundering network that includes a Lebanese investor accused by U.S. intelligence of funding Hizbullah, reported Algeria’s al-Khabar newspaper.

It said that 31 suspects face “heavy” charges related to money laundering, including the Lebanese national.

The March 14 General Secretariat slammed on Wednesday Hizbullah’s recent positions, accusing it of acting as the sole authority on state decisions and the constitution due to its positions on the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We will consider the government as collapsed should it reject the funding of the tribunal.”

Security forces arrested a teenager in the town of Sehaileh after he stole a vehicle from Ajaltoun and sped away with it, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

NNA said that the 15-year-old, who hails from Nabey, stole a GMC owned by Sami al-Khazen on Tuesday night and drove away.

U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly has said Lebanon should be kept away from the “negative repercussions” of the situation in Syria stressing on the importance of Lebanese stability.

In remarks to al-Balad daily on Wednesday, Connelly said the U.S. agenda on Lebanon hasn’t changed. It calls for a stable, independent and sovereign Lebanon.