Commander of the Galilee unit in the Israeli army Yossi Bachar revealed on Thursday that that the Israeli army has prepared a plan to invade southern Lebanon and "destroy Hizbullah."

He told the Israeli Yediot Ahronoth newspaper that the Jewish state is now convinced that defeating the party lies in destroying it, adding that such a party should be removed from existence.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Cyprus Thursday for talks with President Dimitris Christofias.

An official welcoming ceremony will be held at the presidential palace for Hariri and the accompanying delegation -- Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami, Information Minister Tareq Mitri and advisor Hani Hammoud.

House Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Thursday the ongoing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Syria, voicing his concern however with claims that contacts between the two sides had subsided.

He told the daily An Nahar Thursday that he is comforted with the efforts of Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that they wish Lebanon well.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel met late Wednesday Iranian Ambassador Ghadanfar Roken Abadi at the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

Local media on Thursday said Gemayel discussed with Abadi outcome of Iranian leader President Mahmoud Ahhmadinejad's Lebanon visit.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed Lebanon's independence and stability as she voiced concern about tension there when she spoke Wednesday to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the State Department said.

Tension has been rising in Lebanon over the U.N.-backed tribunal, which is probing the 2005 assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri, amid unconfirmed reports the court will indict members of Hizbullah.

Army troops beat up police Col. Hussein Saleh late Wednesday and arrested his son over traffic priority, media reports said.

They said a Lebanese army patrol that happened to be passing by when the colonel's son pulled his gun on a motorist over traffic priority arrested the young man.

Four women were injured when a rocket smashed into a building in north Lebanon's main city of Tripoli, the army said.

"A rocket hit the roof of a building in Jabal Mohsen, wounding four women," an army spokesman said, without elaborating.

Naharnet Special Report - The Hague

The International Media Forum agenda, organized by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague, reflects a completely different view on the Court from what is going on in Beirut.

Former head of General Security Department, Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, has filed a request with Judge Antonio Cassese, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, asking him to disqualify STL Vice-President Judge Ralph Riachy, STL's press office announced Wednesday.

Sayyed claimed that Riachy had been directly involved in the process of his "arbitrary detention, the thing that raises questions about his integrity and impartiality."

House Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that the Saudi-Syrian axis is the road to salvation, saying that the Lebanese should help themselves through their unity and cooperation in solving any problem.

He made his statements after holding talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus that addressed bilateral ties between Lebanon and Syria, latest developments in Lebanon, and efforts to tackle problems that are threatening its stability and security.