Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday noted that “the importance of the March 13 rally lies in raising the issue of weapons without any fears.”

“The situations in Lebanon won’t improve without resolving this dilemma, that’s why that day will represent a decisive moment,” Geagea said on the eve of an expected mass rally at the Martyrs Square to commemorate the March 14 anniversary.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Friday urged the March 14 forces to “clearly declare” a stance on “the topics of truth and sovereignty, not for vengeance but rather to spare Lebanon further tragedies,” stressing that Hizbullah’s arms cannot last forever.

“We’re raising the issue of weapons because we want to preserve the existence of the Lebanese entity, and we hope all Lebanese would realize the meaning of the (March 13) rally, which will represent a broad Lebanese demand for a free, sovereign and independent country,” said Gemayel, on the eve of an expected mass rally to commemorate the March 14 anniversary.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare on Friday filed an "amended indictment" for confirmation by STL Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen "as a result of the gathering and analysis of further evidence," the Office of the Prosecutor announced in a press release.

"This amendment expands on the scope of the indictment filed on January 17, 2011 in connection with the attack on former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and others on February 14, 2005," the OTP noted.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri criticized on Friday the possession of arms outside the Lebanese state, saying that it's true that those possessing weapons have the power to launch an assault, but those who are just are more powerful than all violence and arms.

He said during a speech at Qoreitem: "From now on, the possession of weapons, decision of war and peace, and defending the country should only be under the state's control."

President Michel Suleiman called on Friday all sides in Lebanon to exercise diligence and calm down the political rhetoric in order to ease the tensions and return to dialogue.

He said after holding talks with caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami: “We hope the current contacts would help eliminate the obstacles hindering the government formation.”

March 14 General Secretariat warned on Friday that some influential members of the March 8 camp are printing posters of deceased and living figures, as well as provocative slogans, for its supporters to lift them during Sunday’s rally.

It said in a statement that such slogans and posters are aimed at “inciting hatred and strife.”

Hundreds of Palestinians have demonstrated in front of the U.N. relief agency in Beirut, protesting scaled-back services for refugees.

Some of Friday's protesters tried to storm the head office of the U.N. Relief and Work Agency, or UNRWA, but were held back by security forces.

House Speaker Nabih Berri demanded on Friday an immediate recognition by all Arab governments of the Libyan rebel National Council.

He said in a letter to the head of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi: “Immediate calls should be made to all Arab governments for the immediate recognition of the council which represents the popular revolution and the people’s resistance to the barbarism of the Gadhafi regime.”

A senior officer in Israel's Southern Command has said Iran and Hizbullah frequently send experts to the Gaza Strip to train Hamas forces, crossing through illicit tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border.

Some foreign experts are even stationed in Gaza, he said.

A snowstorm that has been lashing Lebanon since Wednesday is expected to subside over the weekend after claiming three victims in the Wadi Khaled region in Akkar.

The National News Agency said Thursday that Abdullah Rayya, Hassan Shmaisi and Walid Rayya, from the Syrian village of Maajir, were carried off by Nahr al-Kabir while riding their tractor on the Syrian side of the border.