Israeli bulldozers backed by several army vehicles crossed the technical fence in the South on Monday and carried out construction work in a disputed area, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said the bulldozers and around 25 Israeli soldiers in armored vehicles entered some 10-25 meters into the disputed area on the eastern bank of the Wazzani river and began digging a road and erecting earth mounds.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot voiced his country's support for the Lebanese government's policy of disassociation from regional developments, reported the daily An Nahar Sunday.

He told the daily that all Lebanese powers must respect the Baabda Declaration that was sponsored by President Michel Suleiman and which calls for sides to adhere to the disassociation policy.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban highlighted on Thursday the importance of Lebanon's role in the Middle East, while hoping to bolster ties Lebanese-Hungarian ties.

He said after meeting Premier Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail: “There can be no stability in the region without a stable Lebanon.”

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji is scheduled to visit Paris this weekend to appeal for military aid and discuss ways to improve cooperation between the two countries, al-Joumhouria reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said that Qahwaji's official visit at the head of a delegation will include talks with top French military officials on measures to provide aid to the Lebanese army.

Several protesters demonstrated on Saturday near the headquarters of the French UNIFIL peacekeepers in the southern village of Deir Kifa over the ongoing detention of Lebanese leftist militant Georges Abdallah.

Joseph Abdallah, the brother of former guerrilla in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Abdallah, who has spent 28 years in jail, warned that demonstrators will hold sit-ins near French institutions across Lebanese territories and will hassle all French nationals in the country.

President Michel Suleiman kicked off on Friday a tour to inspect the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon units and the Lebanese army troops stationed south of the Litani river.

Suleiman headed aboard a military helicopter to the region amid heavy security deployment.

Ten female soldiers from Malaysia are expected in Lebanon on Tuesday to serve for six months with the Malaysian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Malaysia's National News Agency reported.

The agency quoted Armed Forces chief Gen. Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who presided their sending off ceremony, as saying they would replace the first batch of female members of the armed forces who are completing duty on Jan 21.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly visited southern Lebanon on Tuesday where he toured part of the area along the Blue Line. He also viewed development projects and met with Lebanese local authorities.

During all his meetings, he emphasized the link between the security and stability, which was made possible in southern Lebanon by the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and the longer term development of the region.

U.N. Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson hailed on Tuesday the “sacrifices” made by the Lebanese people in assisting Syrian refugees who have escaped the fighting in their country.

Following talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail, Eliasson said the Lebanese people are making “huge sacrifices” and the U.N. appreciates and respects the efforts to deal with the situation of the displaced Syrians.

United Nations Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson visited the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon where he met with Force Commander Major General Paolo Serra and the Mission’s senior leadership, hailing the cooperation between the army and international force, announced UNIFIL in a statement on Monday.

Eliasson emphasized the need for continued coordinated operations with the Lebanese army saying: “Cooperation between the army and UNIFIL is critical for the successful implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.”