Iran on Thursday expressed that Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war is a defense against “the enemies' plans,” stressing that the party does not interfere in “sectarian conflicts.”

"All the Islamic world respects and values Hizbullah for its fight against the enemies of Islam, particularly against the Zionists,” Iranian foreign ministry's spokesperson Abbas Araqji said, explaining that the party's “procedures in defending Syria aim at facing the enemies' plans.”

France condemned on Thursday the latest Syrian attack on the eastern town of Arsal, slamming “attempts to threaten civil peace in Lebanon as unacceptable.”

"France strongly condemns the raids on Arsal and we consider it a violation of Lebanese sovereignty,” said French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot.

Beirut First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat on Thursday concluded the investigation into the al-Madina Bank case, wrapping up a several-year probe.

Oueidat started preparing to refer the long-running case to the public prosecution, state-run National News Agency reported.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly stressed on Thursday the U.N.'s keenness on Lebanon's stability and stability.

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam that the recent security “developments illustrate yet again the need for a government capable of addressing the many challenges which Lebanon now faces.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox leader Youhanna al-Yaziji called on Thursday for the release of two bishops kidnapped in a north Syria village.

Al-Rahi and al-Yaziji expressed hope in a joint statement read by bishop Boulos Matar that regional states and the international community would exert efforts to secure the release of all the kidnapped people in the neighboring country Syria.

Bahraini authorities announced Thursday they have identified and arrested leading members of the opposition February 14 Revolution Youth Coalition, an influential clandestine cyber-group accused of links to Iran.

"After an extensive investigation, several members of the February 14 terrorist organization were identified... (and) the main actors who took part in criminal acts have been arrested," the interior ministry said in a statement.

A second Turkish power-generating vessel aimed at providing an additional 85 megawatts of power was due to start operating on Wednesday but it would need several more weeks to reach Lebanon, sources said.

The sources from Karadeniz, the company that operates the ship, told al-Liwaa newspaper published Thursday that the barge needs more that four weeks to set anchor in Lebanon for technical reasons linked to the firm's base in Turkey.

Free Patriotic Movement's Caretaker Minister Jebran Bassil denied on Thursday that the ties with Hizbullah and AMAL are shaky over the March 8 dispute on the 17-month parliamentary mandate extension, slamming the political pressure exerted on the members of the Constitutional Council.

“The dispute with Hizbullah over the 17-month parliamentary mandate extension is no secret,” Bassil told As Safir newspaper.

The head of the Constitutional Council, Judge Issam Suleiman, denied on Thursday coming under political pressure over the challenges against the extension of parliament's four-year mandate.

“Everybody knows well that I am not the type that is influenced by any pressure,” Suleiman told As Safir newspaper.

Hours after a helicopter gunship fired missiles at a majority Sunni town in eastern Lebanon Wednesday, Syria's army command said it respects its neighbor's sovereignty and territorial integrity, state news agency SANA said.

The army said it will continue to target rebels across Syrian territory, but that it is "committed to respecting the sovereignty of the Lebanese republic, its territorial integrity and the safety of its people".