A Lebanese truck seized by Syrian authorities in the governorate of Homs included 250 hunting rifles smuggled to Iraq through Syria, informed sources told al-Liwaa daily, refuting allegations that the shipment’s final destination was Syria.

The sources said in remarks published Tuesday that the truck is owned by Ghassan Moussa Fawwaz who hails from the southern town of al-Ghassaniyyeh.

Hundreds of Lebanese intellectuals, journalists and activists staged a rally in solidarity with the Syrian people Monday evening in Beirut’s Martyrs Square.

Amid tight security measures taken by police special forces, the demonstrators shouted slogans in support of the Syrian people and lit candles near the Martyrs Monument to commemorate the victims of a violent crackdown by the Syrian authorities on anti-regime protests.

Speaker Nabih Berri said that the March 14 forces have lost control over their nerves, stressing that disarming Israel and not the resistance must be a national aim.

“The real danger is the Israeli greed and its wars against Lebanon… Disarming the Zionist arms not the resistance is an urgent national goal,” Berri said on Monday at an Iftar at BIEL.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday appointed a new defense minister, state television reported, amid mounting Arab condemnation of nearly five months of deadly crackdown on dissent.

"President Assad has signed a decree naming General Daoud Rajha as the head of the defense ministry," the television report said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Monday that Lebanon supports all efforts to reach an end to the violence in Syria.

He said during a cabinet session that was held earlier in the day: “Lebanon’s steady position is based on refraining from meddling in Syria’s internal affairs.”

The head of the 22-member Arab League on Monday urged Syrian authorities to launch a "serious dialogue" with protesters seeking change in the autocratic country.

"What is happening in Syria worries the Arab League and all countries," Nabil al-Arabi told reporters.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised on Monday Saudi King Abdullah’s position on the developments in Syria, saying that it will pave the way for a new approach in the developments in the Arab country.

He said in a statement: “The latest statements from the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League should motivate the Lebanese government to realize the seriousness of this historic moment.”

The top Sunni Muslim authority on Monday called on Syrian authorities to immediately end" the bloodshed, saying that the crackdown on protesters is a "tragedy" that has gone too far.

"Al-Azhar was patient for a long time and avoided talking about the situation in Syria because of its sensitive nature ... but the situation has gone too far and there is no other solution but to put an end to this Arab and Islamic tragedy," the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, said in a statement.

Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq accused on Sunday the March 14 camp of smuggling arms to Syria, in an attempt to transform Lebanon into a launching pad for attacks against the Arab state.

He said: “The camp can no longer bank on Israeli wars or the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to return to power, but they now can only exploit the developments in Syria to achieve this goal.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad will forfeit legitimacy if his regime continues to carry out acts of violence against demonstrators in his country, the German government warned on Monday.

"If President Assad maintains his refusal to engage in dialogue with the Syrian people and continues to resort to violence, the German government will consider he has forfeited his legitimacy in further overseeing the fate of his country," deputy government spokesman Christoph Steegmans told a regular press conference.