Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Audeh lamented on Tuesday the current state of affairs in Lebanon, wondering “where the country is being taken given all the burdens it is being made to support.”

He said during Christmas mass: “The state should work for everyone, with everyone for Lebanon's salvation.”

Families of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria briefly blocked on Tuesday the road to the presidential palace in Baabda to protest the ongoing abduction of their loves ones.

One of the relatives explained that the protest is a message to President Michel Suleiman to urge him to exert more efforts to resolve the case of the pilgrims.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged on Tuesday Lebanese rival parties to resume the national dialogue to overcome the crises in the country.

“The Lebanese people are waiting for politicians to resolve their disputes and gather around the dialogue table to confront the current challenges locally, regionally and internationally,” al-Rahi said during the Christmas mass that was held at Bkirki.

President Michel Suleiman criticized on Tuesday the boycott of the national dialogue, hoping that all political powers would attend the session set for January 7.

Suleiman said: “I do not understand the link between boycotting dialogue and the demand to topple the government.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri may return to Lebanon in light of the agreement reached between the March 14 opposition and Speaker Nabih Berri over the resumption of parliamentary subcommittee meetings, reported the daily Ad Diyar on Tuesday.

A mediator between Berri and Hariri told the daily: “The former premier is seriously considering returning to Lebanon within two months of the time that the opposition had agreed to resuming contacts with the speaker.”

The final cabinet session for the 2012, which includes 49 articles on its agenda, is expected to witness a heated debate over the salaries of the appointed six-member petroleum authority, media reports said on Tuesday.

According to al-Liwaa newspaper, Energy Minister Jebran Bassil will propose during the session on Thursday at the Baabda Palace that the monthly salary of each member of the authority be fixed to nearly $24,000.

Speaker Nabih Berri voiced his concern over a number of impending issues set to be tackled in 2013, including the ongoing dispute over a parliamentary electoral law, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday.

He expressed his fear “over the ongoing lack of communication between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the March 14 opposition and its impact on the country.

Internal Security Forces general directorate denied on Tuesday reports that two grenades found in the northern city of Tripoli were targeting Prime Minister Najib Miqati or any other official.

“The two hand grenades were tossed away from the road and we presume that whoever put them wanted to get rid of them,” the statement said.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Monday described as “temporary” the influx of Syrian and Palestinian refugees from war-torn Syria into Lebanon, rejecting claims that members of al-Qaida have infiltrated the country.

“The numbers released by international organizations are accurate and might be a little higher. They have mentioned 140,000 but there could be 200,000 (Syrian refugees in Lebanon) due to the fact that some of them are not registering their names with the international organizations,” Ibrahim told a delegation from Lebanon's Editors Syndicate.

A Lebanese lawyer said he filed a lawsuit on Monday against Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar, accusing him of having ordered hundreds of killings in the northern city of Tripoli in 1986.

Lawyer Tareq Shandab said he filed the case as Shaar is currently undergoing treatment at the American University Hospital for light wounds from a December 12 suicide bomb attack on the interior ministry in Damascus.