Lebanon's rumor mill is at full throttle, sparking panic and spreading a sense of foreboding, as a seemingly insoluble political deadlock that has left the country without government deepens.

A gathering of Hizbullah supporters in many western Beirut neighborhoods on Tuesday sparked rumors of a dry run in preparation for a takeover of the capital.

Lebanese Forces MP Elie Marouni questioned on Friday Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat’s positions that at times lean towards the parliamentary majority and at others lean towards the opposition.

He told the Central News Agency that he has no idea what had changed Jumblat’s mind given his latest position that he would support the opposition during Monday’s parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel stressed on Friday the importance that parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister should take place during a calm atmosphere away from the pressures that are being exerted on the institutions.

He said in a statement after meeting President Michel Suleiman: "The pressures on the institutions have reached the point of terrorization."

The unauthorized disclosure of the confidential indictment in the Hariri murder and its supporting materials is a legal violation that is subject to legal prosecution, Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has stressed.

In his "order on the prosecutor's urgent motions for non-disclosure," Fransen notes "that the two types of conduct of concern to the Prosecutor – the unauthorized disclosure of the indictment or its supporting materials and the unauthorized disclosure of identities of witnesses included in the supporting materials – could be considered as interference with the Tribunal's administration of justice amounting to contempt of the Tribunal in violation of Rule 60 bis (A)."

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat Friday night discussed the latest developments in the country with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah's mouthpiece Al-Manar TV announced.

Earlier Friday, Jumblat announced "the appropriate political position to confront the current phase and its complications, especially since the country has reached a dangerous crossroads after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon took on a purely political position, which has started to threaten national unity."

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Friday that Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir’s submission of his resignation requires a “moment of contemplation that goes beyond the feelings of appreciation and respect for a career spanning a quarter of century.”

He said in a letter directed to the patriarch: “Throughout his career, he never hesitated in taking the position that falls in Lebanon’s interest and committing to principles that constitute Lebanese values.”

A bodyguard of Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani was killed in a friendly fire and another civilian was injured in the Beirut neighborhood of Aisha Bakkar.

Policeman Youssef Shbaqlo was killed and Mohammed al-Rassem was wounded when several shots were fired from the bodyguard’s gun as he was putting his weapon at a depot.

March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid stressed that the ruling coalition was the strongest in Lebanon and accused the March 8 alliance of seeking to bring in a new premier by the force of arms.

“We are still the strongest team because we hold onto the right of the Lebanese to decide their fate,” Soaid told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Friday. “We reject attempts by an armed party to lay its hand on Lebanon.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he was surprised by the “erroneous interpretations” of his remarks on the situation in Lebanon and stressed support for Lebanese legitimacy.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, al-Faisal denied that he had told al-Arabiya TV network there was a change in Saudi policy towards Lebanon.

Speaker Nabih Berri welcomed Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri’s speech and lauded the Mustaqbal movement leader’s decision to abide by the constitution and accept democratic results.

However, in remarks to An Nahar and As Safir dailies on Friday, Berri wondered why the March 14 forces severely criticized the March 8 alliance’s “constitutional” decision to resign from the government.