Interior Minister Marwan Charbel stressed that Hizbullah was not involved in the bombing that shook Antelias last week and slammed the opposition for criticizing his statements on the blast.

“Hizbullah is innocent and has nothing to do with the bombing,” Charbel told al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Wednesday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Tuesday that “the Palestinians are under the Lebanese law and we don’t need all the weapons, as we are under the protection of the Lebanese people, president, government and parliament.”

Abbas arrived Tuesday in Beirut for a 2-day visit during which he will hold talks with top Lebanese officials, inspect the living conditions of Palestinian refugees and seek Lebanon’s support for the Palestinian bid for U.N. membership.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi stressed on Tuesday that a comprehensive plan to tackle the prison file in Lebanon is necessary in order to resolve pending issues in this matter.

He said: “The current situation must not continue.”

The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday described the latest remarks by Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem as “a desperate, futile attempt at accusing others of” his party’s own deeds.

Qassem accused Sunday the Mustaqbal movement of being a “militia,” saying that it does not want to recognize Lebanon as a country of diverse sects.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned on Tuesday Iran’s position on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, noting that it is “exactly” like Hizbullah’s.

He said in a statement: “The Iranian position is an integral part of a policy aimed at limiting the STL’s work and preventing justice from being achieved.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stressed on Tuesday that he is committed to serving Lebanon, but “we will not remain in a government that lacks an agenda.”

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “They can make do without us as we have other issues, such as the Resistance, that we are committed to.”

The head of the Democratic Renewal Movement form MP Nassib Lahoud stressed on Tuesday the movement’s objectivity towards various political powers in Lebanon, saying that it will not take sides with the March 8 or 14 camps.

He added however that it will “not maintain a neutral position on the current challenges” facing Lebanon.

The Iranian foreign ministry slammed on Tuesday as “illegitimate” allegations about Tehran’s involvement in former Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination.

"We believe that reports on Rafik Hariri and his tribunal are in line with the international smear campaign and seek particular political goals,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Hizbullah and the Progressive Socialist Party denied on Tuesday local and Arab media reports that the latter had deployed security and military units in some areas of Mount Lebanon aimed at destabilizing the ties between the two parties.

They said in a statement: “The relations between the two sides are well and they are seeking to bolster them through constant consultation and coordination.”

A loud blast shook the neighborhood of Shiyyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs at dawn Monday, which the National News Agency said was the result of the explosion of a vehicle that suffered a technical malfunction.

Hizbullah and Amal members threw a security dragnet at the blast scene shortly after the explosion was heard at around 2:20 a.m., NNA said.