The army intelligence detained on Saturday a Lebanese citizen and a Syrian national who were transferring arms in Brital, the National News Agency reported.

According to NNA, Lebanese Ahmed D. is from the eastern border town of al-Tufail and the Syrian national from al-Kahloun family.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora hailed the cabinet’s decision to hand over the telecom data to the security agencies, stressing the importance of continuing this matter automatically without any obstacles.

The army intelligence detained on Saturday three people in Rmeileh south of Beirut after Israeli-made equipment was found in their possession.

According to statement issued by the army, H. B., A. D., and M. S. were detained after obtaining information on suspicious endeavors carried out by them.

Nearly 34,000 Syrian refugees had fled the crackdown in their country to Lebanon according to a report issued on Saturday by the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees.

“There are currently more than 34,000 Syrian refugees receiving aid in Lebanon through the efforts exerted by the Lebanese cabinet and its U.N. and non-governmental organization partners,” a statement issued by the UNHCR said.

Security forces seized cocaine from a vehicle whose three occupants escaped following a police chase in the Sabtiyeh-Jdeideh area, north of Beirut, the National News Agency reported Saturday.

NNA said the black BMW X5’s driver, Hassan Zoaiter, and another man and a woman ran to an unknown location after they hit four vehicles during a chase by a patrol from the Internal Security Forces anti-drug unit.

Twelve people were injured in gunbattles between rival neighborhoods in the northern city of Tripoli as sniper fire prevented motorists from using the Tripoli-Akkar highway, the National News Agency reported Saturday.

NNA said the clashes that erupted between mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen and the majority Sunni area of al-Bakkar around midnight Friday spread to the al-Rifa, al-Mankoubeen, al-Shaarani, al-Hara al-Barraniyeh, Souq al-Qamh and Syria street in Bab al-Tabbaneh.

The southern port city of Sidon is bracing for a general strike on Monday to protest Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir’s sit-in that has crippled the city economically and threatened security deterioration.

Sidon’s political, economic and religious officials will meet on Sunday to make an official announcement of the strike against Asir’s sit-in and his closure of the city’s northern entrance.

A protest tent erected by Electricite du Liban’s contract workers in the company’s courtyard in Mar Mikhael was moved to the building’s reception hall on Saturday as a first step in their stepped up efforts to confront EDL’s decision to start collecting electricity bills under police protection.

The workers burned tires and garbage bins near the firm’s headquarters on Friday after an EDL official backed by security forces was able to transfer the bills outside the headquarters.

President Michel Suleiman will resume his efforts on Monday to bring back all the members of the all-party talks to the national dialogue table as the only solution to Lebanon’s lingering problems, his sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Saturday that he will make new contacts on Monday will the parties from across the political spectrum as part of his efforts to convince the March 14 opposition into ending its boycott of the dialogue.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati vowed on Saturday not to become a stumbling block to the formation of an “exceptional” government that requires foremost consensus among the Lebanese.

In an interview with pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in London, Miqati said: “I hold onto the success of the government at all levels despite all the hurdles and obstacles facing us … At the same time everyone knows that I don’t hold onto power but work to preserve the safety of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”