Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri called Friday on Saudi Arabia to be an “elder brother” for Lebanon after the kingdom decided to halt military aid worth $4 billion to Lebanon in connection with a row with Hizbullah.

The Saudi move was “in response to unwise decisions to remove Lebanon from the Arab consensus and put the foreign policy of the Lebanese State in the service of regional axes, as happened recently in the last meeting of the Arab foreign ministers and the meeting of Islamic nations,” said Hariri in a statement.

Hizbullah on Friday dismissed accusations that its policies were behind a Saudi decision to halt military aid to Lebanon, attributing Riyadh's move to what the party called the kingdom's “severe financial crisis.”

“The Saudi decision on halting financial aid to the army and security forces has not surprised anyone in Lebanon at all,” said Hizbullah in a statement.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday called on the government to put an end to what he described as Hizbullah's “insults” against Saudi Arabia, shortly after the kingdom decided to halt a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest at Hizbullah's policies and recent diplomatic stances by Lebanon's foreign ministry.

“The Lebanese government must convene immediately to take the necessary measures and officially ask Hizbullah to refrain from insulting the kingdom from now on,” Geagea tweeted.

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi announced Friday that he has decided to refer the case of ex-minister Michel Samaha to the International Criminal Court, accusing some members of the cabinet of blocking the referral of the proceedings to Lebanon's Judicial Council, one of the country's top courts.

“How can we forgive the deeds of someone who conspired with Syria to plot assassinations against political and religious figures?” said Rifi at a press conference.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Friday announced the dates on which the upcoming municipal and mayoral elections will be held in the various Lebanese regions.

The municipal elections will be held in Mount Lebanon on May 8, in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 15, in South and Nabatiyeh on May 22, and in the North and Akkar on May 29, said Mashnouq.

Saudi Arabia said Friday it has halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah's policies and recent diplomatic stances by the Lebanese foreign ministry.

In light of positions taken by Hizbullah the kingdom proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic," an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said on Friday that it was time to have decentralization in waste management after a plan to export Lebanon's garbage failed.

“The export of waste is the worst solution,” said Bassil at a press conference he held at the Bustros Palace.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri on Friday described the presidential vacuum as a “treason,” urging lawmakers to exercise their right in electing a new head of state.

“The MPs should exercise their right to elect a president,” said Hariri following talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki.

The U.S. State Department's latest release of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's e-mails revealed that she had received a message claiming Hizbullah is seeking to set up a base in Cuba to carry out attacks in Latin America, several Cuban and Western news outlets reported.

According to the reports, the author of the e-mail, Sidney Blumenthal, stated that he received the information from “extremely sensitive sources.”

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji has revealed that he received promises from U.S. officials during his latest visit to deliver six A-20 Super Tucano planes to Lebanon.

In an interview published in al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday, Qahwaji said: “We will receive the Super Tucano planes from the Americans.”