Hizbullah blasted Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman for a testimony in which he said Hizbullah is the most technically-capable terrorist group in the world.

Feltman "plays the role of an Israeli official in America," Hizbullah said in a statement.

Cabinet clearly believed that 50/50 was the fair way to get with less fuss over the issue of voting against or abstain from voting for new U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran.

So a decision not to side with either political camp was taken after Cabinet ministers were equally divided between voting against the U.N. proposal and abstaining from the vote.

Secondary public school teachers have suspended their boycott of corrections of this month's official tests until Saturday.

The decision came after coordination among secondary public school teachers and the Central Council of Associations of public school teachers.

Speaker Nabih Berri slammed the Lebanese government's "no decision" on U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran, saying Lebanon should have voted against the draft resolution.

"I still insist on my position that I announced at Baabda palace that Lebanon should have voted against sanctions on Iran, which is a friendly country that has stood next to Lebanon," Berri told An Nahar daily in remarks published Thursday.

Hizbullah MP Hussein Moussawi on Wednesday saluted veteran U.S. reporter Helen Thomas' "courage" for her comments against Israel, which sparked a furor Washington and forced her to retire.

"Respected American journalist Helen Thomas' answer shows ... a courageous, bold, honest and free opinion which expresses what people across the globe believe: that Israel is a racist state of murderers and thugs," Moussawi said in a statement.

The Obama administration has reportedly informed Premier Saad Hariri that it "will not tolerate any transfer of Scud missiles to Hizbullah" and advised Lebanon not to vote against U.N. Security Council sanctions on Iran.

As Safir daily said Monday Defense Secretary Robert Gates informed Hariri during his visit to Washington that President Barack Obama's priority was Iran and Lebanon's voting at the Security Council which would impact U.S. military assistance to the country.

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Lebanon reportedly will decline to vote against further U.N. sanctions on Iran during a U.N. Security Council meeting to be held in New York.

The daily As-Safir on Thursday quoted U.N. diplomatic sources as saying Lebanon is likely to abstain from voting on a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for further sanctions against Iran.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri's discussions with U.S. officials covered "details" on a number of issues concerning Lebanon, including the Israeli-occupied village of Ghajar, Hizbullah arms and renewal of Syrian-Lebanese ties, An-Nahar newspaper said Thursday.

It quoted U.S. sources as saying that Hariri's talks in Washington also tackled U.S. efforts, particularly attempts by Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell to revive negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed during his meeting in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon the need to put an end to Israeli air, sea and land violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, An-Nahar newspaper reported Thursday.

Hariri held talks with Ban Wednesday prior to the U.N. Security Council meeting.