A delegation of March 14 officials stressed on Tuesday the need for the camp's representatives at the new cabinet to commit to the Baabda Declaration.

It said after holding talks with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea: “The ministers should commit to national principles.”

Rockets fired from the Lebanese-Syrian border landed Tuesday on the outskirts of the Bekaa town of al-Bazzaliyeh and nearby areas.

“At 4:45 p.m., five rockets fired from the Syrian side of the border hit the plain of the towns of Hrabta, al-Bazzaliyeh and al-Labweh in the Baalbek-Hermel district, causing no casualties,” the Lebanese Army said in a statement.

A seven-minister committee tasked with devising a new government is expected to convene on Wednesday afternoon.

The announcement was made shortly after the newly-formed cabinet held its first meeting at the Baabda Palace.

The families of three young men detained by the Lebanese authorities on charges of belonging to a terrorist Qaida-Linked organization and of planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon slammed in a statement the accusations.

“Our sons were lured into heading to Syria but they didn't get blood on their hands. They left their houses to make their parents know their value,” a statement by the families of the northern region of Wadi Khaled said.

Heavy gunfire was reported in the northern city of Tripoli on Tuesday as tension escalated between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh after the army began removing barricades in the rival areas.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the gunshots prompted schools to suspend classes for the day, fearing any escalations.

A Lebanese man was on Tuesday refused bail after allegedly bashing his wife to death in Sydney, Australia, media reports said.

Police said Margaret Tannous, 47, had been bludgeoned to death with a broom handle in their south west Sydney unit, Australian dailies reported.

The March 14 alliance's cabinet ministers have agreed to be a united front in the discussions on the new government’s policy statement, which is expected to be completed in two weeks, local dailies reported Tuesday.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper said that the March 14 ministers would act as a single team in the cabinet of Prime Minister Tammam Salam and such a unity would be reflected in the adoption of a strategy to coordinate stances in the discussions on the policy statement.

Hizbullah Liaison and Coordination Officer Wafiq Safa held talks with Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi to congratulate him on his appointment in Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, the meeting was held on Monday morning at Rifi's residence in Ashrafieh in presence of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Col. Imad Othman and ISF Operations room chief Col. Hussam al-Tannoukhi.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has launched an initiative to help the rival parties overcome their differences on the new cabinet's policy statement, As Safir daily reported on Tuesday.

Jumblat, who is a centrist, is planning to advise both the March 8 and March 14 alliances to avoid wordings that include the “defense strategy,” the “people-army-resistance” formula or the “Baabda Declaration,” the newspaper said.

President Michel Suleiman is mulling ways to revive the national dialogue amid the current political consensus over various matters, specifically, after Prime Minister Tammam Salam formed his cabinet.

Baabda Palace sources said in comments to An Nahar newspaper published on Tuesday that the rival March 14 and 8 parties have been offering compromises to reach settlement, which paves the way for all-party talks to resume.