The Army Command announced on Tuesday that the man arrested for appearing in a video alongside former singer Fadel Shaker had confessed to smuggling weapons into Lebanon.

It said in a statement that Ghali Haddara confessed to smuggling arms and ammunition into the so-called security zone in Abra in the southern city of Sidon.

The Ulemas of the northern city of Tripoli on Tuesday accused the Lebanese army of collaborating with Hizbullah to target members of the Sunni community and said the judiciary was receiving orders from Iran.

“The military is collaborating with Hizbullah to fight Sunnis,” Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi said following a meeting that the Ulemas held hours after Tripoli witnessed tension that left one person dead.

A Swedish-Lebanese man denied on Tuesday links to Hizbullah during his trial on charges of breaking Thailand's weapons laws.

Atris Hussein, 48, was arrested in Bangkok in January last year and police later found chemicals that can be used to make a bomb at an address he rented.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri stressed on Tuesday the kingdom's “unwavering” support for Lebanon, saying that the country does not meddle in Lebanese affairs.

He said: “We urge political powers in Lebanon to resume dialogue in order to resolve disputes.”

There was cautious calm in the northern city of Tripoli on Tuesday after a tense night that left an elderly dead and around five others injured, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Salim Amin al-Ashqar, 75, died after inhaling smoke from shops that were burned by armed men to protest the arrest of a suspect who had appeared alongside singer-turned Salafist Fadel Shaker in a video circulated in the wake of the gunbattles in the southern city of Sidon, NNA said.

Baabda palace officials have warned that the country has entered a stage of “legislative-political confrontation” that would only be resolved through the formation of a new government and the resumption of all-party talks.

“The president does not see any useful solution to all the crises or developments except for speeding up a political understanding … that paves way for a national dialogue” session, the officials said.

The March 14 General Secretariat will hold its weekly meetings in different areas across Lebanon with the aim of decreasing the sectarian tension, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, the General Secretariat will kickstart this week meetings in the southern city of Sidon in solidarity with its residents.

Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir was plotting to target several areas across Lebanon in an attempt to provoke strife under the auspices of a “prominent” security agency and funded by well-known businessmen, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

A security source told As Safir newspaper that reputable businessmen granted al-Asir financial funds and apartments, who in turn used the funding to buy arms and explosives, aiming to bomb several areas across the country to create a sectarian strife.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Judge Daniel Fransen will hold a status conference hearing on Wednesday, announced the tribunal in a statement on Monday.

“In conformity with the Rules of Procedures and Evidence of the STL, the pre-trial judge convenes such hearings to review the status of the case through an exchange between the parties in order to ensure expeditious preparation for trial,” it said.

Unrest erupted Monday afternoon in the northern city of Tripoli as a man was arrested for interrogation after he appeared alongside singer-turned-Islamist militant Fadel Shaker in a video circulated in the wake of the Abra battle.

“A hand grenade was hurled near Tripoli's Serail as gunmen appeared on the city's streets and blocked roads in al-Nour Square and al-Beddawi,” MTV reported.