Senior Lebanese and Israeli military officials held a meeting on Thursday in Ras al-Naqoura under the supervision of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra headed the meeting intended to boost security measures along the Blue Line and to halt any violations by both parties.

Tashnag Party MP Hagop Pakradounian on Thursday stressed that the relation between his party and MP Michel Murr was more than a mere political alliance, describing it as a “deep friendship at the national and political levels.”

For his part, Murr noted that the relation “went through some bumps” during the 2009 parliamentary elections, describing the rift as “a summer’s day cloud.”

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said on Thursday that ending “statelets” and “closed security zones” would help build the Lebanese state.

He said: “Lebanon’s sovereignty cannot be established without eliminating the possession of illegitimate arms.”

President Michel Suleiman condemned on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements on Lebanon, saying that its existence will not be affected by his remarks.

He added in a statement: “Lebanon is the only country to have defeated Israel militarily and the Jewish state is still recovering from it.”

Some 1.3 tons of spoiled meat have been confiscated by Consumer Protection Directorate patrols, reported the National News Agency on Thursday.

It said that the meat was discovered in a warehouse of a commercial establishment in the industrial zone in al-Fanar region in Metn district.

A Srilankan maid killed her employer on Thursday at her house in Bourj al-Barajneh in Beirut, reported the National News Agency.

It said that the maid at first beat Nehmat Munthir, 70, several times with a flower pot before stabbing her several times with a knife.

Parliament approved to permanently lift the Value Added Tax on red and green diesel on Thursday, paving way for around a 10 percent drop in their prices.

The approval by the majority of votes came despite reservations expressed by Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.

Acting Labor Minister Nicolas Fattoush and President Michel Suleiman signed on Thursday the transportation allowance decree, which was a point of contention between ex-minister Charbel Nahhas and Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

Fattoush said following talks with Miqati at the Grand Serail that the PM informed him about his approval of the resignation of Nahhas and stressed the importance of “boosting the cabinet’s work.”

British and French authorities are coordinating with the Lebanese Red Cross to transfer four wounded foreigners from Syria to Lebanon, An Nahar daily reported Thursday.

The newspaper said the injured include three British nationals and a French.

March 14 opposition lawmaker Marwan Hamadeh told parliament on Wednesday that the Lebanese army intelligence in the North was putting restraints on the work of journalists in the area.

According to An Nahar daily on Thursday, Hamadeh was referring to an incident that took place earlier in the week when BBC was seeking to shoot a documentary on the Syrian refugees in the border region of Wadi Khaled.