Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Thursday that the resistance will maintain its policies and current line of action, announced the party in a statement.

He said after holding talks with visiting Iranian Vice President Mohammed Reza Rahimi: “The resistance is capable of confronting all upcoming challenges.”

Iranian Vice President Mohammed Reza Rahimi voiced on Thursday his country’s readiness to establish cooperation agreements between the Islamic republic and Lebanon.

He said after holding talks with President Michel Suleiman: “Iran is completely committed to supporting Lebanon.”

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon tweeted on Thursday a reminder that Friday is the deadline for the Defense to file motions challenging the jurisdiction of the Tribunal over the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It said via Twitter: “This will be another milestone towards trial in the case of Ayyash et al.”

The Lebanese Forces on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Energy Minister Jebran Bassil on charges of criminal defamation, the party announced in a statement.

It said that it filed the lawsuit over the minister’s remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper on April 23 in which he accused the March 14 forces of “preparing to kick off a new wave of political assassinations in Lebanon.”

Traffic was halted for two hours at Rafik Hariri International Airport as employees joined the strike of the General Labor Confederation, causing delays in several flights.

The National News Agency said seven departing and arriving flights were affected by the strike of Middle East Airlines employees that started at 11:00 am.

A cabinet session that was scheduled to be held at Baabda Palace on Thursday was postponed despite Deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel’s pledges to hold the meeting to settle controversial issues.

“It is necessary to hold it to settle several important issues,” Moqbel told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) ahead of the postponement announcement.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat held Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui responsible for halting the investigations concerning the attempted assassination of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

Jumblat told al-Akhbar newspaper that Sehnaoui is responsible for preventing the security authorities from acquiring the telecom data to continue the probe into Geagea’s murder attempt.

Claims made by Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour that a Syrian official has expressed frustration at the government’s alleged lack of commitment to agreements signed between the two countries angered ministers loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, An Nahar reported Thursday.

The newspaper quoted Mansour as telling a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail on Wednesday that a “high-ranking Syrian official” had expressed frustration at the government’s performance in terms of the agreements.

A strike called for by the General Labor Confederation on Thursday went ahead as scheduled with several unions joining the protests including the public transportation drivers, the Middle East Airlines employees, the port, and the National Social Security Fund.

“The protesters will not block the roads. We are against the cabinet’s policy that didn’t tackle during its last two sessions the demands of laborers,” head of GLC Ghassan Ghosn told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5).

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman held talks with President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace on Thursday.

The U.S. official stressed the United States’ support for Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty, and stability.