Syrian forces bombarded the protest city of Homs Saturday, killing more than 200 civilians in a "horrific massacre," activists said, as the army opened fire on funeral processions near Damascus, killing 12 people.

The Damascus government denied involvement in the pre-dawn assault, blaming groups trying to incite unrest ahead of a possible Security Council vote, as television images showed bodies and buildings destroyed in the city.

The removal of a wall, adjacent construction and moving groundwater are among the likely causes of a recent fatal building collapse in the Ashrafiyeh neighborhood of Fassouh, a preliminary report revealed on Friday.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, who announced the report’s findings after heading a meeting for the follow-up committee tasked with probing the incident, said additional steps would be made before submitting a final report.

Hizbullah stressed on Friday the need for a productive government that can help alleviate the burdens of the Lebanese people, reported the National News Agency.

Hizbullah politburo member Ghaleb Abu Zainab stated: “It is therefore important for the governmental process to return to normal as soon as possible because its current paralysis will harm the Lebanese people.”

Protesters flooded towns and cities across Syria defying a brutal government crackdown on Friday to commemorate the notorious 1982 massacre in the city of Hama that killed tens of thousands.

At least 36 people were reported killed on Friday, including 11 soldiers and three army deserters, activists and a rights group said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated that the March 14-led opposition is capable of toppling the government through popular protests.

He added however: “The current circumstances are not suitable for such an action.”

An Electricite du Liban bill collector has claimed that two gunmen stole more than LL4 million from him in the area of Rweiss in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the National News Agency reported Friday.

NNA identified the bill collector by his initials as A.Y.

Progressive Socialist Party MP Walid Jumblat said Thursday that the fall of the Syrian regime will not result in Hizbollah handing over their weapons, and insisted on the adoption of a “political solution” in Syria rejecting a military intervention.

“It is crazy to bet that the fall of the Syrian regime will result in Hizbullah handing over its weapons,” he said during a talk show on LBC.

President Michel Suleiman stressed Thursday on the “mechanism which was adopted in the administrative appointments,”

He asserted that “PM Najib Miqati agrees with him and is fully committed to this mechanism.”

The Head of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Defense Office Francois Roux assigned permanent counsel to the four accused in the case Prosecutor v. Ayyash et al., announced the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a press release on Friday.

The Trial Chamber decided that the accused will be tried in absentia and on Wednesday Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen requested the assignment of counsel, it added.

Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Thursday that Lebanon’s policy of distancing itself from the developments in the Arab world has preserved the Lebanese people’s interests.

He said: “Lebanon’s positive neutrality on all issues, except those related to Israel, has protected the country’s interests.”