Tens of thousands of supporters of the opposition gathered Sunday in the northern city of Tripoli to denounce the Syrian regime and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah, under the slogan “The Fall of Weapons, The Spring of Independence.”

The rally organized by the Mustaqbal Movement, the main opposition party headed by ex-premier Saad Hariri, came amid mounting tension over the financing of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the revolt in neighboring Syria.

Head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, ex-PM Fouad Saniora, on Sunday called on Premier Najib Miqati to “implement what the people are demanding” and pay Lebanon’s 49 percent annual share of funds to the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Delivering a speech on behalf of ex-PM Saad Hariri at a mass rally organized by the Mustaqbal Movement in the northern city of Tripoli, Miqati’s hometown, Saniora said financing the STL was a duty and not some kind of generosity.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Sunday that Lebanon is part of the international community and it therefore “cannot be selective in implementing its resolutions.”

He told Vatican radio during his ongoing trip to the European state: “We are committed to justice because it is a central way to find out the truth in the assassinations and crimes that have taken place in Lebanon.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized on Sunday the government’s “hesitation” in adhering to international legitimacy, especially regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

He said during his Sunday sermon: “We warn against failing to respect international obligations and we hold the officials responsible for the dangerous repercussions Lebanon and its people would incur as a result of this failure.”

A mainly Armenian suburb of Beirut has stirred controversy over a decision by local officials to expel foreign workers, with some linking the move to the revolt in Syria and others to sheer racism.

The controversy erupted earlier this month when the municipality of Bourj Hammud, located east of the Lebanese capital, requested all foreigners without rental leases leave the area by the end of November.

Hizbullah, Israel, Iran, and Turkey are all gearing up for an escalation in the developments in the region over the crisis in Syria, a diplomat told the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah daily in remarks published on Sunday.

He said Hizbullah is preparing for the confrontation by removing its rockets from its hideouts, noting that last week’s Siddiqin explosion took place when the party hastily set up the rockets.

The British Foreign Ministry is studying the possibility of calling on its nationals and those from the Commonwealth states to evacuate Lebanon in light of western reports from Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan that said that Lebanon and Syria are on the verge of an escalation, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Sunday.

A British diplomat told the daily that other countries may follow Britain’s example, predicting that the evacuations may take place within a week or two.

Cabinet may not be held on Wednesday in light of the Change and Reform ministers’ boycott of Friday’s government session, reported the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah newspaper on Sunday.

Prominent March 14 parliamentary sources told the daily that Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement will not allow cabinet to convene ever again.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to issue a number of “decisive” positions on several matters during the Mustaqbal Movement’s Tripoli rally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday.

Mustaqbal politburo member former MP Mustapha Alloush told the daily: “Hariri’s speech during the rally will pave the way for a new phase in Lebanon, especially after the recent events in country and the region.”

A technocratic government may be the solution to Lebanon’s current crisis over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

Parliamentary majority sources told the daily that a technocratic government, headed by Prime Minister Najib Miqati, could be formed and it would be able to approve the funding of the tribunal, as well as renew the cooperation protocol between the STL and Lebanon.