Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has reiterated that he does not reject the authority of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, noting that he was "one of the first people to call for the setting up of the STL."

However, Aoun said that "a bunch of false witnesses tried to change the probe's course."

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday denied he has any knowledge about an indictment to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and ruled out that the Court decision would explode the Lebanon situation.

"President Michel Suleiman and I as well as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will not allow an explosion to threat Lebanon," Hariri told the Russian newspaper Vremya Novosti on the sidelines of his visit to Moscow.

Radical Islamic preacher Omar Bakri, who was arrested Sunday in Tripoli by a patrol of intelligence agents from the Internal Security Forces, on Monday hired Hizbullah's MP Nawwar al-Saheli as his lawyer.

Bakri was sentenced to life in prison by the Military Court on a host of charges, including inciting murder and belonging to an armed faction.

Minister of Environment Mohammed Rahhal criticized on Thursday Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas’ statements against Prime Minister Saad Hariri in which he said that he was succumbing to Israeli pressure.

He said: “This is the height of political degradation at Cabinet.”

Saudi Arabia's high court has rejected the execution sentence of a Lebanese man convicted of sorcery and recommended that he be deported after a new trial, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The Supreme Court in Riyadh said that the death sentence for Ali Sabat was not warranted because he had not harmed anyone and had no prior offences in the country, Okaz said.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri denied on Thursday that he received a phone call from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman during Wednesday's Cabinet session.

Hariri's Press Office stressed in a statement that this information is fabricated, incorrect, and baseless.

Mustaqbal MP Hadi Hbeish criticized on Thursday Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas' statements that the Mustaqbal movement is being pressured by Israel.

He told ANB television: "Such statements are treasonous and are a direct threat that would lead to future assassinations."

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams on Thursday said the United Nations was worried about tensions in Lebanon.

He made his remarks after meeting Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in Bkirki.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday reiterated Washington's support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, stressing that attempts at weakening the tribunal will not be tolerated.

Clinton said, on her behalf and on behalf of her Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit at a joint news conference in Washington, that they condemn any attempts at obstructing STL's work.

A consensus on postponing the thorny issue of "false witnesses" until after the Eid al-Adha holiday was reached during Wednesday's cabinet session, "after each side stated its point of view," Information Minister Tareq Mitri said after the session.

Mitri quoted President Michel Suleiman as saying that "there is no use of putting the issue -- of referring the false witnesses issue to the Judicial Council -- to the vote of the cabinet."