Israeli defense officials have accused Hizbullah of involvement in the latest roadside bombing on French peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL near the southern city of Tyre, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

The newspaper said the defense officials believe French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe is right in accusing Hizbullah of having a hand in the bombing that left five troops injured.

Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas expressed relief on Friday over the approval of the wage hike decree proposed by him, stressing that as soon as the Shura Council issues its verdict it will be published in the official gazette.

“We hope that it will be submitted for publication in the official gazette by Thursday, since it’s before the end of the year and the people will be paid their rights in accordance with the holidays,” Nahhas told As Safir newspaper.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Armed Struggle has arrested a Palestinian named Abed Abdullah al-Ghazi on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of the bodyguard of PAS chief Mahmoud Issa at the southern refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh.

Issa, who goes by the nom de guerre of al-Lino, told al-Akhbar daily published on Friday that his group’s investigators questioned al-Ghazi, who admitted to carrying out the operation to kill the bodyguard with the help of a relative of Fatah’s commander Mounir Maqdah.

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud stressed on Friday that the approval of a wage hike decree proposed by Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas was not aimed at sending a political message to Premier Najib Miqati.

“It is all about (defending) the authorities of the ministers,” Abboud told Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) about a decision by Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement ministers to back Nahhas’ proposal rather than supporting a previous suggestion made by Miqati.

Economy and Trade Minister Nicolas Nahhas said on Friday that the economic institutions will not be able to implement the cabinet’s approval of the wage hike decision, hinting that bankruptcy will hit many sectors.

The decision will put on the state treasury additional burdens than a previous decision approved by the cabinet, Nahhas told As Safir newspaper.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called for the consolidation of ties among the political parties that make-up the cabinet rather than engaging in disputes.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Friday, Jumblat said: “This government should work, and in order for it to function, it should limit” the upheaval.

Former PM Saad Hariri said Thursday that the wage hike decision made by the government is “shameful and a political bill that the Lebanese will pay from their economic future and their livelihood.”

On Wednesday, the Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and Amal dealt a blow to Miqati after they voted in favor of a wage boost decree proposed by Nahhas hours after the Economic Committees and the General Labor Confederation agreed with minor changes on a previous proposal made by the PM.

The Lebanese Army Intelligence Thursday arrested a man (M. D.) on suspicion of launching the latest rockets from the South.

According to Al-Manar television “this arrest was made on the international road in Shtoura after the suspect was being followed by the army.”

The Economic Committees condemned on Thursday the government’s approval of Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas’ proposals over the wage hike in Lebanon, deeming it “a major blow to the economy.”

The head of the authorities Adnan Kassar said: “We hope the Shura Council will reject the decision.”

Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh stressed on Thursday that a lawsuit filed in a New York federal court last week against some Lebanese financial entities is an individual case that doesn’t target Lebanon’s banking sector.

“The civil lawsuit on the Lebanese-Canadian Bank and several other exchange companies is an individual case and is being solved through the judiciary, which confirms that the Lebanese banking sector as a whole hasn’t been targeted,” Salameh told Premier Najib Miqati during a meeting they held at the Grand Serail.