Pirme Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Tuesday that the critical developments in the region should force the Lebanese to fortify the internal scene against any dangers that might spread into the country

He asked during a Ramadan iftar: “How can Lebanon benefit from getting involved in the regional developments?”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat expressed pessimism over developments in Syria, saying that the international evaluation of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s alleged reforms isn’t very optimistic.

High-ranking sources quoted Jumblat as saying: “I fear for Syria as a whole.”

Informed sources have denied that Syria has sent to Lebanon for the second time arrest warrants against 33 Lebanese personalities in the lawsuit filed by former head of Lebanon’s General Security Department Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed.

The sources told al-Mustaqbal daily published Tuesday that Syria only sent a detailed document on the identities of the 33 figures. They include judges, security officers, politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials and individuals.

Cabinet members have agreed on urging security forces in preventing arms smuggling form Lebanon to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for smugglers seeking to strike the security and stability of Syria, media reports said Tuesday.

As Safir newspaper said that Ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Mohammed Fneish and Ali Qanso stressed during a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail on Monday that “every person has the freedom to express his political stance but this should not turn into participation in the plot against Syria.”

A Lebanese truck seized by Syrian authorities in the governorate of Homs included 250 hunting rifles smuggled to Iraq through Syria, informed sources told al-Liwaa daily, refuting allegations that the shipment’s final destination was Syria.

The sources said in remarks published Tuesday that the truck is owned by Ghassan Moussa Fawwaz who hails from the southern town of al-Ghassaniyyeh.

Hundreds of Lebanese intellectuals, journalists and activists staged a rally in solidarity with the Syrian people Monday evening in Beirut’s Martyrs Square.

Amid tight security measures taken by police special forces, the demonstrators shouted slogans in support of the Syrian people and lit candles near the Martyrs Monument to commemorate the victims of a violent crackdown by the Syrian authorities on anti-regime protests.

Speaker Nabih Berri said that the March 14 forces have lost control over their nerves, stressing that disarming Israel and not the resistance must be a national aim.

“The real danger is the Israeli greed and its wars against Lebanon… Disarming the Zionist arms not the resistance is an urgent national goal,” Berri said on Monday at an Iftar at BIEL.

Hizbullah gunmen have intercepted a group of Lebanese youths and expatriates who arrived at the barren mountains of the Bekaa town of al-Yammouneh on an ATV trip that started in Ouyoun al-Siman and passed through the Cedar Mountains and Ouyoun Orghosh, Akhbar al-Yawm news agency reported Monday.

“We took the Deir al-Ahmar-al-Yammouneh road … and we were surprised to see three khaki-clad gunmen in full combat gear standing in the middle of the road, near a guard post fortified with sand barriers,” one of the voyagers told Akhbar al-Yawm.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated on Monday that Lebanon supports all efforts to reach an end to the violence in Syria.

He said during a cabinet session that was held earlier in the day: “Lebanon’s steady position is based on refraining from meddling in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on Tuesday that former Egyptian President Hosni Muabarak’s trial demonstrated the “inevitability” of the people’s victory in their quest for freedom, dignity, justice, and democracy even if this struggle endured major difficulties and sacrifices.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “The trial demonstrated that history is unforgiving and several figures should derive lessons from this experience.”