Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat wondered on Monday "what would be wrong in political powers reviewing their rhetoric, experiences, and positions during a certain period?"

He urged in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated Anbaa magazine political powers to "exercise some humility so this necessary revision would take place to organize the political and national life."

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Monday that those "speaking of strife are the ones behind it and preparing for it."

He stressed after meeting Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail the need to maintain the civil peace, emphasizing that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is the "highest international legal authority."

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called Sunday for the establishment of a Lebanese committee to investigate the issue of false witnesses in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.

"Let them set up a committee -- a parliamentary, judicial, security, or ministerial committee—and bring witnesses and Mohammed Siddiq … and ask them who provided them with the information," Nasrallah said via video link during a celebration in honor of Hizbullah martyrs at Shahed Institute in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Turkey has reportedly stepped in to limit tension in Lebanon at a time when the country is gearing itself up for the visits of four top Arab leaders – Saudi King Abdullah, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa.

As Safir daily quoted informed sources as saying Monday that Turkey is holding regional and international consultations to diffuse the tension that erupted over the expected announcement of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's findings next fall.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has warned that the next time violence breaks out, Israel would strike directly at the Lebanese government, which he said is allowing Hizbullah to rearm.

If the Shiite party fires a rocket into Tel Aviv, "we will not run after each Hizbullah terrorist or launcher. . . . We will see it as legitimate to hit any target that belongs to the Lebanese state, not just to Hizbullah," Barak told The Washington Post.

Sunni rebel group Jundallah claimed twin suicide bombings which killed 27 people in southeastern Iran, in a posting on its website, the latest in a string of attacks it has claimed against the Shiite country.

The rebel group, active in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province for nearly a decade, said it had targeted the elite Revolutionary Guards who were marking the annual Guards Day in the provincial capital Zahedan.

Speaker Nabih Berri has warned that a security agreement with France would not be adopted unless the Lebanese definition of terrorism was included in it.

"Lebanon defines terrorism differently than France. We believe Israel is the heart of terror and those who help it and support the occupation of Arab land … contribute to terrorism as well," Berri told An Nahar in remarks published Wednesday.

Lebanese troops carried out house raids following renewed shooting in Fanar Thursday morning, the state-run National News Agency said.

It said the crackle of machine gun fire was heard in Zoaiteriya neighborhood in the northern Metn area of Fanar.

MP Michel Murr stressed Wednesday the importance of granting Palestinian refugees in Lebanon their rights, but said a draft law on the matter cannot be submitted as an urgent bill.

He commented on Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's recent statements on the issue by saying: "He has the right to act in whatever way he wants when he presented his proposal to parliament, perhaps it's because he's been practicing politics for a long time."

The United States on Wednesday urged "all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via land crossings into Gaza."

"As we continue to make clear to involved parties, mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.