A Lebanese national who U.S. authorities say is the ringleader of a vast international drug smuggling ring with links to Hizbullah has been indicted on drug and money laundering charges after allegedly reaping more than $850 million in illicit profits.

The indictment was announced Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria against Ayman Joumaa, who is currently at large. It alleges he led a conspiracy that, among other activities, sold nearly 100 tons of Colombian cocaine to the Zetas drug cartel in Mexico between 2005 and 2007 that was ultimately smuggled into the United States. The conspiracy has run since at least 2004 and at times brought in as much as $200 million in a single month, according to court documents.

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon ad interim Robert Watkins said Tuesday he agreed with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during talks in Bkirki on “the importance of asserting state authority throughout all of Lebanon’s territory and of taking measures to safeguard the stability and security of the country.”

“In this regard, I briefed the Patriarch on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and the Secretary-General’s recent report. We are naturally disconcerted by the rising number of incidents, two rocket firing incidents in the period of two weeks and yet another attack on UNIFIL troops, which the Secretary-General and the Security Council have condemned in the strongest terms,” Watkins added.

Former premier Saad Hariri on Tuesday reiterated that the latest spate of security incidents in southern Lebanon was a “message” from Syria, accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s allies in Lebanon of carrying out the attacks.

“The truth is that these things just don't happen, it’s a Syrian message from Bashar through his guys in Lebanon,” Hariri said in English, answering a question from a Twitter user.

The Mustaqbal bloc noted on Tuesday that the state’s restoration of its sovereignty can help restore stability in Lebanon.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The recent instability in the country can be attributed to the widespread possession of illegitimate arms.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun noted on Tuesday that the firing of rockets from Lebanon to Israel coincided with the campaign against Hizbullah accusing it of seeking to launch a war against the Jewish state.

Commenting on his ties with the party, he said: “Political and work incidents happen.”

French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton stressed on Tuesday the need to keep Lebanon away from regional tensions, asserting that France will maintain its support for Lebanon even if it reduces the number of its troops in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour that UNIFIL’s peacekeeping unit is conducting a strategic revision of the participation in the international force.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Tuesday the importance of cooperation between the people, army, and resistance, as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, in defending the security of southern Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with UNIFIL Commander Major General Alberto Asarta: “The attacks that have taken place in the South target the equation of the army, people, and resistance.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated on Tuesday that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s mission in the South has been curtailed due to Hizbullah’s presence in the area.

He said during a press conference on the latest developments: “Hizbullah is directly or indirectly responsible for all the security incidents in southern Lebanon.”

The health ministry sent a team to a nursery in New Jdeideh to unveil the circumstances behind the death of a three-month-old baby boy, Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) reported Tuesday.

The National News Agency said Monday that the father of the infant, Fadi Mansour, pressed charges after he was told by the nursery that his son was taken to Arz hospital in Zalka.

France has decided to decrease the number of its troops serving with UNIFIL despite pledges by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon that last week’s attack on his country’s peacekeepers would not dampen Paris’ commitment to the mission, An Nahar daily reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said consultations are underway between French army generals to set the number of the downsize before informing the U.N. peacekeeping leadership that is reviewing UNIFIL’s strategic mission about their decision.