Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Friday that Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s submission of his resignation requires a “moment of contemplation that goes beyond the feelings of appreciation and respect for a career spanning a quarter of century.”

He said in a letter directed to the patriarch: “Throughout his career, he never hesitated in taking the position that falls in Lebanon’s interest and committing to principles that constitute Lebanese values.”

A bodyguard of Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani was killed in a friendly fire and another civilian was injured in the Beirut neighborhood of Aisha Bakkar.

Policeman Youssef Shbaqlo was killed and Mohammed al-Rassem was wounded when several shots were fired from the bodyguard’s gun as he was putting his weapon at a depot.

March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid stressed that the ruling coalition was the strongest in Lebanon and accused the March 8 alliance of seeking to bring in a new premier by the force of arms.

“We are still the strongest team because we hold onto the right of the Lebanese to decide their fate,” Soaid told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Friday. “We reject attempts by an armed party to lay its hand on Lebanon.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he was surprised by the “erroneous interpretations” of his remarks on the situation in Lebanon and stressed support for Lebanese legitimacy.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, al-Faisal denied that he had told al-Arabiya TV network there was a change in Saudi policy towards Lebanon.

Speaker Nabih Berri welcomed Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri’s speech and lauded the Mustaqbal movement leader’s decision to abide by the constitution and accept democratic results.

However, in remarks to An Nahar and As Safir dailies on Friday, Berri wondered why the March 14 forces severely criticized the March 8 alliance’s “constitutional” decision to resign from the government.

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs Alain Le Roy expressed “deep concern” over the situation in Lebanon and said UNIFIL has taken “precautionary measures” to confront any possible deterioration.

“We are deeply concerned over the political developments particularly in Beirut,” Le Roy said in New York on Thursday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on Thursday stressed "the importance of stability, security and preventing the aggravation of the situation in Lebanon," Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported.

Talks between Assad and Sheikh Hamad, who arrived in Damascus on a sudden visit, dealt with "the bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the region, particularly in Lebanon, amid the failure of the efforts aimed at reaching a solution there," SANA added.

The United States stands ready to help Lebanon out of its ongoing political impasse, but it is ultimately up to Beirut to resolve the crisis, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Thursday.

Asked at a press conference about international mediation efforts following the collapse this week of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government, Clinton said: "We stand ready, as do many others in the region and beyond, to be of assistance," Clinton said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri confirmed on Thursday his candidacy for a new term, after Hizbullah and its allies prompted the collapse of his government last week.

"A constitutional process is under way and we will accept its results despite intimidation on the street and elsewhere," Hariri said in a televised address to the nation.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has stressed that Lebanon will not be able to "turn the page on political assassinations forever without achieving justice," noting that stability in Lebanon was "everyone's essential demand."

"Any party that wants to mess with it (stability) will have to confront several foes -- Lebanese, Arabs and others," Abul Gheit said in an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai to be published Friday.