A fresh wave of tit-for-tat kidnappings erupted on Thursday between members of the Jaafar clan and residents of the Bekaa town of Arsal, after mediators almost managed to secure a swap deal between the rival parties, state-run National News Agency reported.

Arsal residents abducted four members of the Jaafar clan and a member of the al-Rachiini family who were working in the vicinity of Arsal, NNA said.

Syria's air force pounded a rural area near the eastern border town of Arsal for the second time in 24 hours on Thursday, officials said.

"I can confirm there was a raid," said Ahmad Fliti, deputy head of Arsal council.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri revealed on Thursday that his country wishes a dialogue would take place between al-Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah, noting that Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is “the man of the period”.

"Communication and constructive dialogue between both parties is very important,” Asiri explained in an interview with al-Manar television.

Contact has been lost with former MP Yeghya Jirjian for over a day, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

"Jirjian called his wife on Wednesday afternoon informing her that he is on his way back home from his office in (the Beirut neighborhood of) Ashrafieh,” the NNA elaborated, noting that his residence is situated in the Elissar town of the Metn region.

Syrian regime forces are massing in the countryside of Qusayr city near Homs, backed by Hizbullah groups, in a bid to storm into the “strategic” Tal Qadesh area, a Syrian opposition member claimed on Thursday, urging Lebanon to stop “Hizbullah's interference in Syrian affairs.”

“Major reinforcements for Hizbullah and the Syrian army are massing in the western countryside of Homs and shelling with multiple rocket launchers and MiG warplanes intensified today in preparation for storming into the area and controlling Tal Qadesh,” Mouayed Ghizlan, member of the general secretariat of the opposition National Council, told CNNArabic.

The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Thursday condemned “in the strongest possible terms” what it called “the latest attempt to interfere with the proper administration of justice by publishing a list of alleged witnesses and potentially endangering the lives of Lebanese citizens.”

The website of al-Mustaqbal newspaper, which is owned by slain ex-premier Rafik Hariri's family, was hacked on Tuesday and its front page was replaced with the alleged names of the “secret witnesses in the STL” by a group calling itself “Journalists for the Truth.” The list can also be found on the group's website.

The Jamaa Islamiya on Thursday revealed that Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is looking to form a small cabinet whose members are not “provocative” figures.

"The PM-designate wants a cabinet with ministers who are not nominated for the parliamentary elections,” the Jamaa added in a released statement after meeting with Salam at his residence in Beirut's al-Mousaytbeh neighborhood.

President Michel Suleiman said on Thursday that there are no reasons that justify the latest Syrian bombing of Lebanese territories, requesting providing the Foreign Ministry with the necessary related documents.

Syrian military helicopters had fired five missiles on Wednesday evening on the Lebanese region of al-Ajram near the Bekaa's border town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency said.

March 14 independent Christian MPs and officials said on Thursday that politicians should facilitate the work of PM-designate Tammam Salam to form a cabinet whose members are not running in the parliamentary elections.

In a statement issued following a meeting they held at MP Butros Harb's office, the officials stressed their support to Salam and the facilitation of his mission in forming a cabinet whose members are not candidates.

A conference organized to help raise awareness on the problems confronting the educational system in Lebanon will be held on April 28 at Babel theater in Hamra.

The conference will stress that education can help build “rational citizens” and a “better economy,” according to a EduChange press release.