Speaker Nabih Berri slammed some officials in the state without naming them, stressing that they don’t want to continue the establishment of Lebanon’s national defenses.

Berri statements came after Israeli press reported that their country began establishing a military strategy to secure the oil fields disputed over with Lebanon.

Syrian refugees fleeing the unrest in their country to Lebanese border towns since the uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad regime reached 2600, the Central news agency reported on Saturday.

“The numbers of refugees reached 2600, distributed in areas near the border especially in Wadi Khaled,” Security forces told the news agency.

President Michel Suleiman said Saturday that the improvement of the country’s democratic performance should start by the adoption of a modern electoral law.

Suleiman told delegations visiting him at his summer residence in Beiteddine palace that the electoral law should provide the right representation to all Lebanese and their right role in decision making.

The Internal Security Forces leadership snapped back at Hizbullah mouthpiece al-Manar TV station over accusations that the Intelligence Branch had neglected its duties in arresting Mossad agents.

Without naming al-Manar, the ISF general directorate said in a communiqué on Friday that unlike the TV report that no spying network was arrested in the past year, the Intelligence Branch had arrested 4 rings, the latest in June 2001.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi described the Lebanese army on Saturday as Lebanon’s backbone saying the country has no pride or dignity without a strong army.

In remarks at Beirut airport before traveling to Paris on an official visit, al-Rahi said: “The army is Lebanon’s backbone, it is Lebanese pride and honor.”

A top U.S. official has said that the Obama administration is adopting a neutral policy towards Premier Najib Miqati because it can’t easily overlook the way he came to power.

The official told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in Paris, that the U.S. “is adopting neutrality because it knows Miqati since he became prime minister in 2005.”

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has expressed concern to Premier Najib Miqati on the latest attacks on UNIFIL and urged all Lebanese sides to respect Security Council resolutions, including 1701, French diplomatic sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily that during his meeting with Miqati on the sidelines of the “Friends of Libya” conference on Thursday, Juppe condemned the bombing attacks on UNIFIL troops on May 27 and July 26.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has said that hatefulness is embodied in al-Mustaqbal movement and slammed parties who supported the electricity plan and then backed off from it.

At a dinner organized by the FPM, Aoun accused some parties of obstructing the movement’s reforms.

Premier Najib Miqati will visit New York end of the month and will likely head the monthly U.N. Security Council meeting on the Middle East on Sept. 27, a diplomatic source said.

The source told An Nahar daily published Saturday that Miqati will not travel on the same plane of President Michel Suleiman who is expected to go to New York on Sept. 18 at the head of the Lebanese delegation that will participate in the 66th General Assembly meeting.

U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly lauded Premier Najib Miqati for announcing that the Lebanese government will fund the international tribunal and rejecting to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs.

In remarks to An Nahar daily published Saturday, Connelly also praised Miqati for saying Lebanon was committed to international resolutions particularly 1701.