The United States on Friday added Hizbullah to a list of organizations under sanctions for their ties to the Syrian regime.

"This action highlights Hizbullah's activities within Syria and its integral role in the continued violence the Assad regime is inflicting on the Syrian population," the U.S. Treasury Department charged in a statement.

Israeli deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon noted on Friday that the Arab world is passing through a phase that will restore it back to the way it was before World War I, reported Israel Radio.

He also predicted Syria’s fragmentation into provinces, adding that Lebanon will suffer the same fate in the future.

The French Foreign Ministry voiced its concern on Friday with the alleged confessions of former minister and MP Michel Samaha, saying that they are “exceptionally dangerous”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Vincent Floriani: “We hope the Lebanese judiciary would reveal the truth in the case.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati contacted on Friday Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi to inquire about the details of the arrest of former minister and MP Michel Samaha.

He praised the ISF’s work, noting that the “current critical phase in Lebanon requires it to intensify its efforts to maintain security and stability.”

The family members of the 11 abducted Lebanese pilgrims staged a sit-in on Friday near the Qatari embassy in Ain el-Tineh in Beirut.

Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, who has been tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case, urged Qatar to cooperate to resolve the case of the abducted men.

The American Task Force for Lebanon lashed out at New York-based United against Nuclear Iran (UANI) for accusing the Lebanese banking sector of laundering money for the benefit of Iran, Syria and Hizbullah, describing them as false accusations.

The ATFL argues that the campaign launched by UANI encouraged private-equity firms to unload their Lebanese holdings, As Safir newspaper reported on Friday.

The United States on Thursday accused Iran of playing a "nefarious" role in the Syria conflict, one that strengthens the case for President Bashar Assad to be forced out of office.

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said the alliance of Iran, Hizbullah and Assad's government was "bad for the region."

Four Lebanese-Canadians are running in the upcoming National Assembly’s elections in Quebec as candidates for the upstart “Coalition Avenir Québec.”

The four candidates Johnny Kairouz, Abel-Claude Arslanian, Walid Hadid and Carla el-Ghandour will represent some 200,000 Lebanese-Canadians who are mostly localized in Quebec and Montreal.

Ex-Minister Michel Samaha, who has admitted to involvement in a plot to carry out bombings in Lebanon, has reportedly told investigators that the order came straight from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published Friday, Samaha said: “The Syrian president wants this. This is what Bashar (Assad) wants.”

A Lebanese cabinet minister hinted on Friday that Israeli claims of explosives smuggling through the Lebanese-Israeli border were aimed at covering up the failure of the Jewish state to withdraw from the Lebanese side of the border village of Ghajar.

The minister, who was not identified, did not rule out that the charges against at least eight Arab-Israeli men of transferring explosives to Israel, were an excuse to cover up Israeli troops’ continued occupation of the northern part of Ghajar.