Hizbullah on Thursday condemned the arrest of Sheikh Mohammed Ali al-Mahfouz, secretary-general of Bahrain’s Islamic Action Society, describing it as part of “an unjust arrest campaign conducted by the Bahraini authorities against national, religious, medical and professional figures in Bahrain.”

“These continuous arrests are part of an oppressive crackdown … that includes the burning of Korans and the desecration of mosques and (Muslim) scholars’ tombs,” the party said in a statement.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Thursday returned to Beirut from the Vatican, after participating in the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II on Sunday.

Flanked by President Michel Suleiman’s representative, caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, al-Rahi told reporters at the Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport that the minister’s latest decision to refrain from participation in the new cabinet reflected his “culture of sacrifice and giving,” lauding Baroud for “putting public welfare above all private interests.”

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams stressed after holding talks with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh on Thursday the need to form a new government as soon as possible.

He said that the new Cabinet would help resolve pending issues, especially economic and social disputes.

As Safir reported on Thursday that inmates in Roumieh’s bloc D have started a hunger strike on Wednesday, demanding the speeding up of trials and improvement of the conditions in the prison.

The strike coincided with a sit-in held by the families of the prisoners before the prison on Wednesday, which has been moved to Riad al-Solh square in downtown Beirut where three tents have been set up in solidarity with their sons.

Progressive Social Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said that he wanted to secretly equip PSP fighters with arms to prepare them for the “second round” of the clashes with Hizbullah after the May 7, 2008, clashes in Beirut, revealed a WikiLeaks cable published exclusively in al-Akhbar newspaper on Thursday.

“We look forward to a second round… we should be prepared… I admit that Hizbullah won the first round,” he told then U.S. Charge d’Affaires Michele Sison during a meeting on May 15, 2008.

A leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in Al-Jumhuriyah newspaper on Thursday revealed that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun was keen on preserving his good alliance with Hizbullah, while he feared any close ties with Syria and Iran.

The WikiLeaks cable dated November 3, 2006 reported on a meeting between Aoun, an Iranian parliamentary delegation, and MPs Abbas Hashem and Ibrahim Kanaan in Rabieh during which FPM leader said he cannot form any political axis with Iran.

Syrian President Bashar Assad ruled out the possibility that Iran would use an atomic bomb against Israel because that would lead to Palestinian casualties, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable published exclusively in al-Jumhuriya newspaper on Thursday.

The WikiLeaks cable dated April 1, 2009, spoke of a meeting between the Syrian president and then U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.

Security sources in Sidon revealed that a clash erupted Wednesday night between security guards at a Mall in Sidon and five armed individuals, causing a state of panic among the residents, As Safir newspaper reported on Thursday.

“The individual incident was caused by the rejection of the mall administration to hire a group of youths,” the newspaper said.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel feared that Hizbullah’s takeover of Beirut on May 7, 2008, may be the end stages of a Syrian-Iranian operation to seize control of Lebanon, revealed a leaked U.S. Embassy cable dated May 11, 2008.

The WikiLeaks cable spoke of a meeting between Gemayel, then U.S. Charge d’Affaires Michele Sison, and then ministers Nayla Mouawwad and Marwan Hamadeh.

President Michel Suleiman suggested granting Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji the Interior Ministry portfolio in order to end the dispute over this matter, revealed As Safir newspaper on Thursday.

It added that the President’s proposal came as a response to the suggestion to appoint General Paul Matar to the position.