The United States fears Hizbullah may be planning imminent attacks in Europe and around the world, a senior security official in Washington said Friday.

"Our assessment is that Hizbullah and Iran will both continue to maintain a heightened level of terrorist activity and operations in the near future," said Daniel Benjamin, the U.S. State Department's counter-terrorism coordinator.

Young men who arrived on motorcycles on Friday blocked the Ring-Ashrafiyeh highway near Burj al-Ghazal Tower with burning tires in protest at power cuts.

LBCI said the protesters reportedly belong to AMAL Movement.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has telephoned former prime minister Saad Hariri to discuss the draft electoral law adopted by the government.

Jumblat and Hariri discussed “the draft electoral law adopted by the government and the coordination of stances in parliament,” the Akhbar al-Yawm news agency reported on Friday.

The United States on Friday added Hizbullah to a list of organizations under sanctions for their ties to the Syrian regime.

"This action highlights Hizbullah's activities within Syria and its integral role in the continued violence the Assad regime is inflicting on the Syrian population," the U.S. Treasury Department charged in a statement.

Israeli deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon noted on Friday that the Arab world is passing through a phase that will restore it back to the way it was before World War I, reported Israel Radio.

He also predicted Syria’s fragmentation into provinces, adding that Lebanon will suffer the same fate in the future.

The French Foreign Ministry voiced its concern on Friday with the alleged confessions of former minister and MP Michel Samaha, saying that they are “exceptionally dangerous”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vincent Floriani: “We hope the Lebanese judiciary would reveal the truth in the case.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati contacted on Friday Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi to inquire about the details of the arrest of former minister and MP Michel Samaha.

He praised the ISF’s work, noting that the “current critical phase in Lebanon requires it to intensify its efforts to maintain security and stability.”

The family members of the 11 abducted Lebanese pilgrims staged a sit-in on Friday near the Qatari embassy in Ain el-Tineh in Beirut.

Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, who has been tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case, urged Qatar to cooperate to resolve the case of the abducted men.

The American Task Force for Lebanon lashed out at New York-based United against Nuclear Iran (UANI) for accusing the Lebanese banking sector of laundering money for the benefit of Iran, Syria and Hizbullah, describing them as false accusations.

The ATFL argues that the campaign launched by UANI encouraged private-equity firms to unload their Lebanese holdings, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

The United States on Thursday accused Iran of playing a "nefarious" role in the Syria conflict, one that strengthens the case for President Bashar Assad to be forced out of office.

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said the alliance of Iran, Hizbullah and Assad's government was "bad for the region."