The municipality of the northern city of Tripoli witnessed mass resignations in protest of the performance of its head, forcing Tripoli to join the municipal by-elections that will take place on May 6.

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday that 10 members of Tripoli’s municipal council submitted their resignations, and the number will likely reach 13.

Israeli officials are concerned about reports that Hizbullah is putting its hands on Syrian arms, though it is still unclear whether the Lebanese party has gotten hold of chemical weapons, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying that it remains unclear how far Washington will go to help bring about the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour denied that his visit to Libya aims at setting up the required measures to announce officially the death of revered Lebanese Shiite Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.

“Mansour denies what some media reports said about the case and would harm the investigations,” his press office said in a statement.

The Lebanese army has exposed soldiers who breached its security by stealing arms from its warehouses and selling them to weapons dealers who in their turn smuggled the equipment to the rebel Free Syrian Army, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

The army intelligence branch arrested Officer Kh. H. from the town of Arsal in the eastern Bekaa valley, who worked as a guard at a warehouse belonging to the army’s eighth battalion.

Investigators probing Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s assassination attempt have found new leads after residents of the town of Maarab informed them that several suspicious people had try to rent an apartment in the area last summer.

A security source told al-Mustaqbal daily published Tuesday the suspicious people, who hail from Maarab, sought to rent a house at the end of last summer but the suspects escaped when the residents informed security officials at Geagea’s residence about them.

The Israeli army is considering the deployment of missile interceptors on gas rigs that Israeli companies plan to construct in the sea over concerns that Hizbullah could attack them, The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.

The Israeli newspaper said the government fears that Hizbullah would attack the platforms with anti-ship missiles or explosives-laden vessels.

A large-scale meeting of the opposition March 14 forces is scheduled to be held in the residence of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea in Maarab on Wednesday in a show of support after his escape from an assassination attempt last week.

The March 14 general-secretariat has invited around 200 personalities, including party leaders, lawmakers and former ministers to participate in the meeting in Maarab at 5:00 pm, An Nahar daily said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati is determined to accelerate the appointment of top civil servants in state posts and to pressure cabinet ministers to exert efforts concerning this issue, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Sources close to Miqati said that the premier is keen to overcome the obstacles facing the appointments.

Jal el-Dib residents blocked on Tuesday the highway in the area of the dismantled bridge for the second week in a row to protest the lack of an alternative for traffic.

The angry protestors also blocked the coastal road that allows commuters to have access to Beirut until 11:00 am, causing bumper-to-bumper traffic during the morning rush hour.

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon on Monday “strongly” deplored the fatal cross-border shootings from Syria into Lebanon and Turkey earlier in the day, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

Ban also made a final plea for President Bashar al-Assad to halt attacks on civilians ahead of a Tuesday deadline to withdraw troops and heavy guns from Syria's cities.