State Minister Adnan Sayyed Hussein confirmed that a settlement over the cabinet crisis would be reached soon and Saudi-Syrian efforts would have positive results.

He told al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Thursday that President Michel Suleiman will remain a consensus head of state and his camp will continue to seek for calm and stability.

The Arab American Institute and the American Task Force for Lebanon said following a meeting between a group of Lebanese Americans and Obama administration officials that Lebanon must have stability and justice.

"We support the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and reject the notion that Lebanon must choose between stability and justice," said a statement released by AAI and ATFL on Tuesday.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon showed different stances between Tehran and Damascus from the court, official French sources told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

Khamenei's dismissal as "null and void" imminent rulings by the tribunal, confirmed France's belief that despite their strategic alliance, Iran and Syria have different agendas on Lebanon, the source said.

All eight people arrested over the lynching of a murder suspect by an angry mob in the village of Ketermaya in April have been released, al-Akhbar daily reported Thursday.

The newspaper said that seven suspects were released on different stages and the last was set free several days ago.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said that his website will reveal more information on the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah and the assassination of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

In an interview with al-Jazeera Arab satellite network, Assange said that what has been published on Israel till now constitutes just "1-2%" of the information.

Fatah commander in Lebanon Munir Maqdah on Thursday uncovered the mass departure of Palestinian groups from the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp to Europe.

He told the Voice of Lebanon radio station that some members of these groups, however, were arrested and handed over to Lebanese authorities.

Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali on Wednesday stressed that the Damascus-Riyadh mediation effort was ongoing.

He said results of this effort should emerge here through the various parties in Lebanon – through their response, consensus and dialogue among themselves away from media spotlight to reach the required results.

The Israeli army leadership accused Iran and Hizbullah of continuing to consolidate Hamas' military capabilities by transferring advanced weapons to the Islamist movement.

The army leadership said it decided to change the rules of the game following increased rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on Israel.

France brushed aside comments by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging different sides in Lebanon and the region to encourage dialogue and national interest.

"The international tribunal is an independent authority that was established by a Security Council resolution and with the support of Lebanese authorities," French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tuesday.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday slammed Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and said he has become similar to a "false witness."

"We didn't vote (inside cabinet) to avoid a government crisis," Jumblat told al-Akhbar newspaper about the last cabinet session which was adjourned without reaching a solution on false witnesses.