The house of a Lebanese villager in the northern town of Hnaider was hit by two rockets that came from the Syrian side of the border in the area of Wadi Khaled, Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) reported Tuesday.

VDL said that the rockets hit the home of Khaled al-Assaad on Monday night but did not cause any casualties.

The replacement of Judge Antonio Cassese as president of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri triggered wide reactions locally amid controversy on the payment of Lebanon’s share from the tribunal’s budget.

“Judge Baragwanath has been appointed by the STL since March 2009, and has attended all the Appeal Chambers’ meeting,” tribunal spokesman Marten Youssef told An Nahar on Tuesday.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is holding on to the March 14 coalition and to equality in distributing of powers between Muslims and Christians, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Former MP Bassem al-Sabaa told al-Mustaqbal leadership during a meeting led by head of the party’s parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora that Hariri voices his support to the Taef accord.

Former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Monday said that if he made a trip to Syria, it could have interpreted that he is following its policies, whereas he only adheres to the Lebanese path.

In an interview to Future News, Sfeir expressed his belief that the Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's positions match those of the Vatican.

Syria's Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the country's highest religious authority, has warned Europe, the United States and Israel of suicide bombings if they attack his country.

"From the first round fired, the sons of Syria and Lebanon will become fighters who will carry out suicide attacks on the land of Europe and Palestine," the mufti said in a speech viewed on the Internet video-sharing website YouTube.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Monday the riots that have taken place in Egypt over the weekend, voicing his confidence in the Egyptian security forces’ ability in restoring stability.

He warned in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “It’s necessary to prevent the unrest from developing into sectarian strife.”

Lebanese politicians and clergymen have condemned on Monday the riots between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, with some labeling them as being part of an American agenda to fragment the region, while others viewing them as an impediment to democracy.

Hizbullah voiced in a statement “its great pain and sorrow over the developments in Egypt”, saying they are part of the American agenda bent on “completely fragmenting the region along religious and racial lines.”

Judge Sir David Baragwanath has been unanimously elected President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and Presiding Judge of the Appeals Chamber after Judge Antonio Cassese resigned on health grounds, the STL said Monday.

Cassese will continue to serve as a Judge of the Appeals Chamber, it said.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel stated on Monday that the parliamentary electoral law that was agreed upon with the committee charged with devising a new law “does not resemble the old one any way shape or form.”

He said during a press conference: “An electoral law based on proportional representation is the best solution for Lebanon.”

Speaker Nabih Berri urged officials not to issue a final judgment on the 2012 draft state budget because he said it could be amended during discussions at the cabinet or parliament.

Berri told As Safir daily published Monday that the draft has some positive and negative aspects. Among the negative articles is a proposed 2 percent hike in Value Added Tax. VAT currently stands at 10 percent.