the Sinai area, according to press reports from Egypt.

The reports from Egypt said Hezbollah detainees belonging to a six-member "Port Said cell" have confessed that prime suspect Sami Shehab has assigned them to buy a boat to monitor Suez Canal and had also asked them to rent a fish shop in Port Said for use as cover-up to monitor the Suez Canal and ship activity. Egypt's Al Akhbar newspaper identified the cell members as Ayman Mustafa, Ihab Ahmed, Ihab Assayed, Ibrahim Issam, Mohammed Abdelfattah and Hasan al-Manakhli.

Asharq al-Awsat daily quoted well-informed sources as saying that interrogation has uncovered that the Hezbollah cell, which includes 49 suspects - including Egyptian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Sudanese - had planned three major bombing attacks in tourist cities on the Red Sea and the Sinai area.

Meanwhile Hezbollah supporters are attacking Egypt and are claiming that Hezbollah's cell was to support the Palestinians only and was doing nothing inside Egypt

Lebanese sources close to the Shiite group are saying that Hezbollah is trying to avoid any escalation of the crisis with Egypt and would like to resolve the issue in the best possible way, the sooner the better.

Friday

23:30 MP Michel Murr after meeting Geagea in Maarab said he is running as an independent candidate in the 2009 elections , but he agrees with March 14 Forces stance concerning the Lebanese state and legitimacy.

23:20 The prosecutor in the international tribunal STL Daniel Bellemare to announce on April 27 his decision on the 4 jailed generals

23: 18 STL President Antonio Cassesse said the tribunal now possesses the "necessary legal tools" to deal with the initial files related to the Hariri murder

23:16 A hand grenade exploded in Tripoli in the area between Bab al Tabbanah and Jebel Mohsen

20:20 UN sec general Ban- Ki Moon condemned Hezbollah interference in Egypt's internal affairs

22:20 MP Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri are meeting in Ain el Tinah

22:14 Calos Edde told Future TV: Hezbollah can no longer consider itself a Lebanese resistance movement , because it has become a political and military tool in the hands of Wilyat al Faqih ( meaning Iran

22:00 Information minister Tarek Mitri at the end of the cabinet meeting : "The cabinet did not discuss the issue of senior appointments and I cannot promise you that this issue will be resolved soon "

21:59 President Suleiman stressed during the cabinet meeting the importance of finding the attackers of the army . He also stressed the importance of having a good summer tourist season to help the economy

21:20 The Lebanese security forces are trying to intervene to end the clashes between the supporters of the Lebanese Forces and those of the Free Patriotic Movement

18:43 Lebanese Forces students were attacked in Batroun by guards of FPM's minister Gibran Bassil who are charged with guarding his residence

18:32 Cabinet convenes at Presidential Palace in Baabda and session is being chaired by President Michel Suleiman

18:21 Paris : The danger of an Israeli attack against the Iranian nuclear installations remains a serious option

17:58 The Ministry of education has announced receiving several scholarships from Turkey, Korea and Yemen and issued instructions regarding applications for these scholarships

17:55 President Michel Suleiman received PM Fouad Saniora at Baabda palace prior to cabinet’s meeting.

17:30 Islamabad assures the world community that its nuclear arms are in safe hands

16:29 Army chief General Kahwaji: we are at equal distance from everyone and are ready to provide necessary security environment for the upcoming elections

16:10 Head of U.S. Army Central and Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Lt. Gen. James Lovelace, left Beirut to Kuwait on a U.S. military aircraft.

16:05 Culture Minister Tamam Salam attended with UNESCO Director Koichiro Matsuura the launching of the activities of “Beirut World Book Capital City 2009," during an official celebration in Paris.

15:50 French Justice Minister Rachida Dati left Beirut to Paris ending a two-day official visit.

15:45 Former PM Miqati: I am satisfied with the completion of the coalition of the " Tripoli solidarity list" and ask the critics, which is the best to bridge the gap, or the creation of a conflict in our region

15:30 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea received a telephone call from former Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi who discussed general Lebanon and Middle East developments.

14:50 Head of U.S. Army Central and Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Lt. Gen. James Lovelace, arrived in Beirut from Cairo.

14:15 Internal Security Forces arrested 41 people for committing several crimes across Lebanon.

13:43 Al-Manar TV: STL General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare did not ask Pre-trial Judge Daniel Fransen to extend petition deadline on four generals’ detainment

13:15 MP Nayla Moawad after meeting Patriarch Sfeir: Jumblatt’s remarks on Maronites were harmful. But his apology was sincere.

12:00 Beirut Maronite seat candidate: I hope the world knows the injustice against the Armenian people.

11:40 MP Serge Tor Sarkissain to NBN: I will run in the elections as part of the Henchag party because it is strong in Rmeil and Ashrafiyeh. The decision of the March 14 forces was hasty and did not consult with Armenian authorities in the region. LF which was responsible for nominating Kouyoumjian, had an “interest in supporting my nomination.”

11:30 Security forces arrested a Syrian and his wife for killing Lebanese citizen Ahmed Halal in Habboush.

11:15 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir met with al-Mustaqbal movement leader’s advisor Daoud al-Sayegh and discussed with him electoral developments.

10:57 Head of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya’s politbureau Ali Sheikh Ammar told New TV that Siniora “did not offer anything new ”in his mediation between Jamaa and Future

10:42 FPM"s MP Abbas Hashem told Al-Manar TV: Hariri is nervous and faces difficulties in Beirut I, II, III districts

10:15 Armenians are holding masses marking the 94th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

08:46 Change and Reform bloc MP Salim Salhab said in an interview with the Voice of Lebanon that FPM’s lists for Baabda, Kesrouan might be announced before Jezzine

8:40 MP Yassine Jaber to VDL: The issue of MP Samir Azar is creating discord in Jezzine. The Baabda list is almost complete.

08:26 Minister of State for Administrative Reform Ibrahim Shamseddine told the Voice of Lebanon that the cabinet is unlikely to make administrative appointments Friday

7:45 March 14 official Fares Soaid to VDL: The March 14 forces will not withdraw from the Kesrouan and Jbeil battle. If there was no deal with independents, we will run in the polls with 1 Shiite candidate and maybe a Maronite from Jubeil’s coastal areas

Thursday

18:00 As Safir : Sharjah handed over Mohammed Zuhair Siddiq, a witness in Hariri murder to Abu Dhabi . In 2006 Siddiq was quoted as saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad and his then Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahoud ordered Hariri's killing in a massive Beirut car bombing

18:00 Saudi Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja left for Riyadh aboard a private jet following a two-day official visit to Lebanon

17:52 Al-Arabiya TV: 6 ministers in Syria replaced including Syria’s Interior and Justice ministries

16:10 French Justice Minister Rachida Dati arrived to Beirut on a two-day official visit.

15:55 Lebanese Armed Forces arrested 13 individuals wanted for various crimes in north Lebanon; confiscating arms, ammunition and light military equipment.

15:30 At least 70 people were killed in two bloody suicide bomb attacks in Iraq as the military announced the capture of the Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq Abu Omar al-Baghdadi

15:20 Parliamentary Greek Orthodox candidate for Beirut 1 district Nayla Tueni legally sued OTV and the Free Patriotic Movement for news falsification, sedition and for breaching all legal rules during electoral campaigns.

13:55 Judge Saqr Saqr referred Ret. General Security Brigadier General Adib al-Alam, his wife and nephew to Military Investigative Judge Rashid Mizher for interrogation.

12:50 OTV: Wiam Wahab attacked the Egyptians for arresting Hezbollah members "who were aiding Palestine". He added “I cannot announce my candidacy in the Shouf district, because Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblatt represents the majority of Druze in all regions,”

12:20 Change and Reform leader Michel Aoun announces Jbeil electoral list composed of Abbas Hashem, Simon Abi Ramia and Walid Khoury.