The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc condemned on Tuesday the clashes between the army and gunmen from the al-Nusra Front in the northeastern town of Arsal, saying that the attack against the army is tantamount to an assault against the whole of Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We hold Hizbullah and those allied to it largely responsible for the developments in Arsal and what Lebanon and its army have to endure.”

Israeli troops handed a Lebanese shepherd over to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon a day after kidnapping him, the National News Agency reported on Thursday.

NNA reported that UNIFIL handed over Lebanese shepherd Ismail Khalil Nabaa, who was abducted by the Israeli army, over to the Lebanese security forces through the Naqoura crossing.

Outgoing United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Major General Paolo Serra said on Thursday that despite the challenges and the sporadic incidents in the South “unprecedented stability was achieved during the past eight years.”

“Both sides (Israel and Lebanon) continue their commitment to the cessation of hostilities even though challenges still remain,” Serra said in an interview with As Safir newspaper at the end of his term.

U.S. federal agents have arrested a Lebanese man who the Irish government says is a suspect in the abduction, torture and killing of two Irish soldiers serving as United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon 34 years ago.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Mahmoud Bazzi on Tuesday at his home in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. The agency arrested Bazzi for "administrative immigration violations" not directly in connection with the killings in Lebanon, spokeswoman Gillian Christensen told The Associated Press last week.

Outgoing United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Major General Paolo Serra met with several Lebanese officials on Tuesday on a farewell visit, accompanied by his successor Major-General Luciano Portolano.

Serra said at the end of his tour on senior officials that he wanted to “thank them for their unflinching support.”

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly described on Wednesday the situation along the southern Lebanese border as “dangerous,” stressing that all sides must exercise self-restraint.

“The recent developments are a serious source of concern, especially after rockets (hit Israel) for four consecutive days,” Plumbly said in an interview with An Nahar newspaper.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers intensified their patrols along the border with the Jewish state as the Israeli military upped its presence in the occupied Shebaa Farms area, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

NNA said the Lebanese army stepped up its patrols on the ground and on the coast.

Speaker Nabih Berri considered on Monday that the mechanism that the cabinet adopted to regulate its work amid the presidential vacuum is paralyzing it and prompting each minister to be in control.

“We reject attempts to paralyze the cabinet... But unfortunately the followed mechanism doesn't interpret the constitution and the jurisdictions of the government amid the presidential vacuum,” Berri pointed out.

Israeli troops opened fire on Sunday at a shepherd as he was herding his cattle in the South, reported the National News Agency.

It said that the soldiers fired five shots at Hussam Akasha in the Jabal Sadana heights, but they missed him.

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous said Tuesday that the world body was exerting all efforts to help the Lebanese army.

“We are well aware of the resource constraints the army faces and we are making every effort at every level to garner international assistance necessary to bolster its capacity,” Ladsous said following talks with Lebanese officials.