Flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) was grounded in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday as pilots staged a 48-hour strike over the dismissal of a colleague undergoing treatment for cancer.

"We have grounded 10 out of 15 flights today," said Captain Fadi Khalil, head of the pilots' union.

Hizbullah Minister Mohammed Fneish said the Shiite party will attend a cabinet session set to discuss the funding of the international tribunal on Wednesday but stressed that it continues to reject the payment of Lebanon’s share to the court.

Following talks with Premier Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail, Fneish said: “Miqati continues to hold onto his stance … so do we.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati refused on Tuesday to discuss Wednesday’s cabinet session, saying that he prefers not to comment on the issue while matters are still being studied.

He said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “It’s normal to hold another session if quorum is not met.”

The UNIFIL confirmed on Tuesday the firing of at least one rocket into northern Israel, saying that it is investigating the “facts” and “circumstances” of the incident.

Commander Major-General Alberto Asarta maintained close contact with the Lebanese and Israeli parties after the incident, said a statement issued by the peacekeeping force.

The March 8 forces are preparing for the post-Prime Minister Najib Miqati stage as Hizbullah is expected to object the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon during Wednesday’s cabinet session.

The Hizbullah leadership began over the past two weeks preparing for the post-Miqati stage, if the premier carried out his threat to resign if the funding of the STL wasn’t approved by the cabinet, sources told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

Sources close to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said the Druze chief’s stance from the government crisis is linked to the decision that Premier Najib Miqati would take if the March 8 ministers reject to fund the international tribunal.

Sources close to Jumblat told As Safir daily on Tuesday that the PSP chief rejects the collapse of the government. “The country cannot bear” crises anymore, they said.

Ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun began on Monday pressuring Premier Najib Miqati to meet their demands after Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas referred a series of decrees on the wage boost to the cabinet.

Nahhas’ move came a few days after the Change and Reform bloc ministers conditioned their participation in the government on a series of requests that Miqati should meet. Among them is the increase in salaries and the approval of development projects.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has advised the Lebanese to preserve their unity and prevent the Syrian crisis from affecting their country.

In an interview published in el-Shark newspaper on Tuesday, Juppe said all Lebanese “should focus on dialogue and work on preserving their national unity and civil peace to avoid disputes and importing them” to Lebanon.

Speaker Nabih Berri held talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati in Ain el-Tineh on Tuesday to resolve the crisis threatening to collapse the cabinet.

As Safir reported that Berri, in his attempt to find consensus among the cabinet members, was tasked by the Hizbullah leadership in coordination with President Michel Suleiman to contact Miqati to find an acceptable solution by all members.

One rocket was fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel overnight, prompting the Jewish state’s army to warn Beirut early Tuesday to work to prevent similar attacks in the future.

The Lebanese army released a statement saying that one rocket was fired from southern Lebanon from the area between the town of Haneen and Rmaish into Israel.