Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun noted on Wednesday that a large number of Lebanese have steered away from the path of resistance and forgotten about the Israeli threat against Lebanon.

He said: “Some sides are seeking to spread the unrest in Syria to Lebanon in order for us to surrender” to foreign powers.

President Michel Suleiman on Wednesday said that a letter sent to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon by Syria’s envoy to the U.N. Bashar al-Jaafari was not based on “verified facts.”

“It is not based on verified facts, and moreover the information of the Army Command and the Lebanese security agencies say totally otherwise,” Suleiman told U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly during a meeting at the Baabda Palace.

The head of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) Riad al-Asaad condemned on Wednesday the kidnapping of Lebanese pilgrims in Aleppo on Tuesday, revealing that an investigation committee was formed in order to tackle the case, reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper in an interview to be published Thursday.

He told the newspaper: “Mafias kidnapped the pilgrims and we will risk our life to liberate them.”

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji called on the military on Wednesday to be keen on the lives of the Lebanese by carrying out its mission responsibly following unrest in Northern Lebanon and Beirut.

The latest incidents in the North “proved once again that everyone relies on your role to prevent sedition and impose stability,” Qahwaji said in the Order of the Day on the occasion of Liberation Day, which falls on Friday.

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday the importance of national dialogue in ending disputes in Lebanon, most notably after the unrest in northern Lebanon.

He said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers: “Harming the army is a red line.”

Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, warned on Wednesday that the conflict in Syria could spread to Lebanon and “end very badly.”

Speaking in a televised news conference, Lavrov said that there is "a tangible threat" of the Syrian uprising spilling over to Lebanon which "could end very badly."

The March 14 opposition coalition reiterated on Wednesday its call for justice in the killing of Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed in Akkar, saying the Lebanese continue to support the army but insist on justice in the case.

“We don’t call for vengeance and don’t target anyone. We only say that we want justice,” March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid said in the Akkar town of al-Bireh after offering condolences at the head of an opposition delegation to the family and friends of Abdul Wahed.

Syria's main opposition coalition issued on Wednesday a call for the prompt release of the Lebanese pilgrims in Aleppo, accusing the Syrian regime of being involved in the kidnapping.

The Syrian National Council "does not think it is impossible that the regime is involved in this operation," in order to sow "disorder" in neighboring Lebanon, the group said.

The cabinet on Wednesday discussed the latest security incidents in the country and the loss of life and material damage that resulted from the unrest, stressing the importance of the army’s role in preserving security and stability and throwing its support behind the military institution concerning the measures it is taking across the country.

It also stressed the need to provide all the necessary assets to the army to enable it to perform its national duties.

Electricite du Liban's contract employees continued their strike on Wednesday, warning of escalatory measures to force the cabinet to carry out their demands.

The contract workers set up on Tuesday two tents near the company’s entrance in preparation to hold an open-ended strike until the government meets their demands for their full-time employment.