More than 4,500 Syrians fleeing a deadly crackdown on a revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have found shelter in Lebanon, with hundreds crossing the border in the last two weeks, the United Nations said Friday.

A report released by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said 4,510 Syrians, including women and children, had registered in northern Lebanon, up from 3,798 at the beginning of December.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi met Friday in Bkirki with Hizbullah politburo member Ghaleb Abu Zainab, who passed on Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s season’s greetings to the patriarch, state-run National News Agency reported.

The agency did not elaborate on the topics discussed during the meeting.

The Maronite leaders were unanimous on Friday in agreeing on the Orthodox meeting proposals regarding the parliamentary electoral law, while stressing the need to hold dialogue with the rest of the Lebanese factions on the matter.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi headed the meeting at Bkirki between Phalange Party chief Amin Gemayel, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, the head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh.

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem condemned the attack against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon on December 9, slamming the March 14 camp and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe’s accusations that the party was behind the assault.

He said: “We have decided to file a lawsuit against those who made such accusations against us.”

The Shura Council approved on Friday the cabinet’s controversial decision on wage hike that caused a series of protests amongst politicians, citizens and Syndicates.

The Council conditioned some modifications to the decision without interfering with the amount of increase on brackets.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati is expected to head to Paris in January to meet with senior French officials including President Nicolas Sarkozy, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

According to the daily, he will discuss two issues during his stay in France, the first is related to the economy while the second is aimed at stressing the importance of the foreign support granted to the Lebanese army.

A meeting was held on Thursday between several ministers from the Hizbullah-led March 8 forces as a follow-up to talks earlier in the week aimed at restoring the crippling relations between the Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and Amal.

Al-Liwaa daily said that Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who represents Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal movement in the cabinet, Minister Jebran Bassil, who is loyal to FPM chief Michel Aoun, and Hizbullah leader’s aide Hussein Khalil held the talks.

Maronite leaders meeting in Bkirki stressed on Friday the importance of real partnership and equality between Muslims and Christians.

They said in a statement: “This issue transcends demographic and political considerations and neglecting it will threaten Lebanon’s national unity.”

President Michel Suleiman has signed a decree to promote 24 colonels in the Internal Security Forces to the rank of brigadier general but excluded the head of the ISF’s Information Branch, Col. Wissam al-Hassan.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel announced Thursday that al-Hassan’s promotion will take place in accordance with a decree to be issued on January 1, 2012 after having completed six years in service.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed relief on Friday over the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon through the Higher Relief Council.

“I have already said that the payment will not be from the state’s budget and this is what happened… there might be other hidden issues related (to the funding) that will be unveiled soon,” Berri told An Nahar.