Parliament approved on Thursday a draft law on the delineation of Lebanon’s maritime border after introducing an amendment to article 6, two days after the cabinet’s adoption of the decree.

The adoption of the law comes amid a dispute between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime boundary. Both countries are moving to assert sovereignty over an area potentially rich in gas.

Lebanon’s disavowal of a U.N. Security Council statement condemning Syria's deadly attacks on civilians is “shameful,” high-ranking March 14 sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Thursday that “despite the unanimity of the other 14 members of the Security Council on the statement, Lebanon’s disavowal is a shameful and disgraceful stance.”

Over 70 organizations including the United Nations and major U.S. defense groups have been targets of a global cyber spying effort, according to security firm McAfee, with analysts pointing to China as the culprit, the Washington Post said Wednesday.

Targets for the intrusions -- identified from logs tracked to a single server -- included computer networks of the United Nations secretariat, a U.S. Energy Department lab, and some dozen U.S. defense firms, said the McAfee report to be released Wednesday, according to the Post.

A dispute between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime boundary has heated up and sparked fears of conflict as both countries move to assert sovereignty over an area potentially rich in gas.

Tension rose last month after Israel's cabinet approved a map of the country's proposed maritime borders with Lebanon and submitted it to the United Nations, which has been asked to mediate.

France might decrease its presence in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after the attack that targeted its contingents in the southern city of sidon, An Nahar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Three French U.N. peacekeepers were wounded last week in a roadside bombing near Sidon, and another three suffered hearing problems.

The U.N. Security Council struggled Tuesday through negotiations on how to respond to the Syria crisis that Russia's envoy warned was veering toward civil war.

Divisions remained among the 15 nations on the wording of any condemnation of President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protests and whether it should be a formal resolution or a less weighty statement.

An Israeli ten-member patrol entered 30 meters deep into Lebanese territories near the southern town of Mais al-Jabal 24 hours after a shooting incident between the two sides, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said that the patrol crossed the technical fence and entered the area around 1:30 pm Tuesday. It stayed there for around half an hour after searching olive groves.

The U.N. Security Council began a second day of talks on Syria Tuesday after President Bashar al-Assad's tanks shelled the protest hub of Hama on the opening day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

At least 24 civilians were reported killed across the country on Monday, among them 10 during protests after special evening prayers, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdul Rahman said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed fear on Tuesday over the ongoing Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, urging the United Nations to demand Israel to implement Security Council resolution 1701.

Miqati stressed after meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams that Lebanon will defend its rights and protect its sovereignty with all the available means.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, voiced on Tuesday his concern over the July 26 attack against French soldiers in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, revealing that it “generated very considerable concern in France and all the troop contributing countries.”

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “It is imperative that the Lebanese government take concrete and firm action on this.”