Energy Minister Jebran Bassil criticized the failure to approve the electricity draft law, which he said will reflect negatively on the government because of its inability to resolve a matter that is as important as electricity.

He told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Saturday: “What kind of message are we delivering to our opponents and the people? … I don’t think the country can persist like this.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s recent statement on Lebanese affairs is aimed at “preempting developments” in order to prevent further debate over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a leading official in the March 14 camp told the daily An Nahar in remarks published on Saturday.

He justified this position by saying that the tribunal is no longer up for discussion as it was approved based on United Nations Security Council resolution 1757 and an agreement at the national dialogue in 2006.

The blast that rocked the town of Antelias was most likely caused by a bomb and not a hand grenade, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.

Investigations revealed that the bomb was composed of explosives and metal balls, it added.

Hizbullah condemned on Friday attempts by some Lebanese and Arab media outlets to drag the party’s name in any security development that takes place in Lebanon, the last of which was Thursday’s Antelias blast.

The party accused in a statement these outlets of “seeking to tarnish its image before its Arab and Lebanese public.”

March 14: Charges Filed against Suspects in Antelias Blast Contradicts Govt. Statement on Matter

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Friday the government’s handling of various explosions that have taken place in Lebanon, most notably Thursday’s Antelias bombing and the Rouweis blast that took place a few weeks ago, accusing it of hiding the facts from the public.

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated on Thursday that the Resistance does not have any enemies on the internal scene in Lebanon.

He said during a Ramadan iftar: “Our only enemy is Israel and we don’t have enemies in Lebanon, except sides that we differ with politically.”

MP and Former Minister Marwan Hamadeh expressed relief after his meeting with a delegation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Thursday.

Hamadeh, who escaped an assassination attempt in 2004, told al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday that “it was a day full of conflicting emotions.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil quarreled over the electricity file during a cabinet session that was held at the Baabda Palace on Thursday, forcing President Michel Suleiman to intervene to end the dispute.

Earlier this week, parliament failed to approve an electricity draft law proposed by FPM leader MP Michel Aoun that allows Bassil to receive $1,200,000,000 to implement a project on producing 700 Megawatts of electricity.

European diplomatic sources did not rule out an Israeli aggression on Lebanon in September warning the Jewish state could target state institutions, including Lebanese army barracks.

The sources told An Nahar daily published Friday that the new Israeli war would not only target Hizbullah arms depots and officials but also hit the water and electricity sectors and army positions.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Samir al-Jisr on Friday denied telling al-Joumhouria daily that former premier Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat had held talks in Turkey last weekend.

In the remarks attributed to him by the newspaper, al-Jisr allegedly wondered why people would be surprised if two high ranking officials met. "Al-Mustaqbal movement has kept a thin thread with Jumblat," the daily quoted him as saying.