Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday stressed to visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that “Lebanon is fulfilling its humanitarian duties towards the Syrian refugees and the Lebanese and Syrian peoples are like one people.”

“The abduction of the 11 Lebanese is the reason behind this antipathy, but the two peoples will remain brothers under all circumstances,” Berri added.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Thursday the importance of national unity during the current tense security situation in Lebanon.

He told reporters after the national dialogue session: “Arrest warrants will be issued against those who violated security in Lebanon and the airport road will not be blocked again.”

Journalist Joseph Abu Fadel was attacked by protesters on Thursday in the Masnaa-Bar Elias area, said various media reports.

They said that his car came under fire as it was passing through the area.

The interrogation of former minister and MP Michel Samaha continued on Thursday amid reports that the concerned authorities were going to broadcast before the media items that were seized from the official’s vehicle, reported the National News Agency.

The interrogation was conducted at the Military Tribunal by Judge Riyad Abu Ghaida and lasted an hour-and-a-half.

An obscure group calling itself Mukhtar al-Thaqfi Brigade claimed on Thursday that it kidnapped members of the Free Syrian Army in Lebanon after the spokesman of al-Meqdad clan vowed to abduct more Syrian nationals in retaliation for the seizure of a family member in Syria.

LBCI TV aired a videotape of alleged FSA members calling on Syrian rebels to release Hassan al-Meqdad who was kidnapped in Syria this week.

A national dialogue session was held at Beiteddine palace on Thursday during which the conferees agreed to “form a delegation comprising members of the dialogue committee with the aim of contacting the influential countries in a bid to secure the safe release of the Lebanese abductees” in Syria.

The delegation would also “stress keenness on the brotherly ties with those countries,” according to the closing statement of the dialogue session.

Kuwait urged all nationals currently present on Lebanese territories to leave the country “immediately.”

“All the Kuwaiti citizens currently in Lebanon should leave amid fears that the security situation might deteriorate in Lebanon due to the swift developments in Syria,” a source in the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said.

Thousands of Hizbullah members and supporters operate with few restrictions in Europe, raising money that is funnelled to the group’s leadership in Lebanon, the New York Times reported.

While the U.S. and Israel consider Hizbullah an Iranian-backed terrorist organization with bloody hands, the European Union continues to treat it foremost as a Lebanese political and social movement, it said.

Air France said Thursday it will resume its flight to Lebanon, a day after it was forced to land briefly in Syria and then head to Cyprus after protesters blocked the road leading to the Beirut airport.

A spokeswoman said the plane took off Wednesday from Paris, but was diverted when it was an hour from Beirut because of concerns passengers would be trapped if it landed.

President Michel Suleiman said on Thursday that Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour obtained information confirming that the 11 men abducted in Syria are doing well.

The president made his comments ahead of presiding the national dialogue session at Beiteddine.