The Head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Defense Office Francois Roux assigned permanent counsel to the four accused in the case Prosecutor v. Ayyash et al., announced the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a press release on Friday.

The Trial Chamber decided that the accused will be tried in absentia and on Wednesday Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen requested the assignment of counsel, it added.

The joint security and military by-committee for the Bekaa in Lebanon and Reef Damascus in Syria held a meeting on Thursday during which both sides suggested the formation of a joint military and security by-committee to monitor the situation along the border between the Bekaa and Reef Damascus provinces, reported the National News Agency.

The two sides also addressed the alleged arms smuggling from the Lebanese towns of Arsal, al-Tafil, Maarboun. And Deir al-Aashaer.

Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Thursday that Lebanon’s policy of distancing itself from the developments in the Arab world has preserved the Lebanese people’s interests.

He said: “Lebanon’s positive neutrality on all issues, except those related to Israel, has protected the country’s interests.”

Houses in southern Lebanon are a storage facility for missiles or rockets or a launch pad which are destructive and could hit the heart of the Israeli cities, Israel's chief of military intelligence, General Aviv Kochavi, warned on Thursday at a security conference.

Intelligence estimates, he said, showed "one in every 10 houses in south Lebanon is a storage facility for missiles or rockets or a launch pad for devices that are increasingly accurate and destructive."

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized on Thursday the performance of the cabinet, calling on its members to resign and urging the formation of a technocrat government.

“Any member of this cabinet that respects himself should submit his resignation,” Geagea said during a press conference in Maarab.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Thursday that he is keen on safeguarding Lebanon and its constitution.

He said during a ceremony on the expansion of the Tripoli Port: “Lebanon will not become a victim of powers seeking to split the spoils.”

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon ad interim Robert Watkins said Thursday that Hizbullah has stressed the need to continue its dialogue with the world body.

In remarks to al-Mustaqbal daily, Watkins said that despite the party’s frustration from some of the remarks made by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during his visit to Beirut last month, Hizbullah has expressed its respect for “the integrity of the U.N. and the necessity to keep the dialogue open.”

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil slammed on Thursday the decision taken by Prime Minister Najib Miqati over the appointment of top civil servants in the state.

“We refuse to become part of those who consider what the PM demands is sacred and the cabinet should abide by it, especially regarding the appointments issue,” Bassil told An Nahar newspaper.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed that the suspension of cabinet sessions falls within his constitutional rights, noting that he aims to push all the members to act responsibly and positively.

Miqati said on his twitter account after the president decided to suspend session at Baabda palace under the premier’s request that the suspension “falls within the PM's Constitutional prerogatives, especially when there's quorum.”

Four gunmen kidnapped a Syrian businessman as he crossed into Lebanon from the Masnaa border checkpoint in the Bekaa valley on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported.

NNA said that the four men intercepted the BMW 530 of Mohammed al-Jabi, 55, and kidnapped him at gunpoint. The car’s Syrian license plate is 976145.