Former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said the deadly twin bombings that hit Tripoli on Friday are “a chance for us, as Lebanese, to shoulder our responsibilities in protecting our people, whether in Dahieh, Tripoli or anywhere else.”

“I had warned all officials seven months ago that Lebanon had entered the storm, and unfortunately every party engaged in a scheme until things reached this extent,” Rifi said in a phone interview with LBCI television.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly stressed on Wednesday that the best way to safeguard Lebanon’s stability during this period was through reinforcing and respecting Lebanon’s state institutions.

He said: “In this context the delay in forming a new government is a matter of concern.”

Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday said no changes have been made to the agenda of Wednesday's parliamentary session

"Should there be lack of quorum, I will set a date for another session," Berri added.

The dispute over the legality of holding a parliamentary session in the presence of a caretaker government has persisted amid claims that the Mustaqbal bloc and its March 14 allies may take part in it exchange for certain demands linked to the formation of a new cabinet, reported As Safir newspaper Saturday.

Widely informed sources told the daily that the bloc is also seeking to propose extending the term of retired Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi in exchange of attending an extraordinary parliament session.

Former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi on Wednesday accused Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh of supporting the mainly Alawite Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen with weapons, criticizing Hizbullah's behavior during the Sidon clashes.

“There is nothing called leaders of frontiers and Tripoli's residents will always count on the state and its institutions,” Rifi said in an interview on Future TV.

Acting Internal Security Forces chief Brigadier General Roger Salem stressed on Thursday that the security forces will bolster their presence in the northern city of Tripoli in order to contain the clashes and tensions in the area.

He said: “The gunmen are not being granted political cover and they are acting independently.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed relief on Monday over the achievements made by the cabinet that he led from 2011 until his resignation last month, pointing out that ties with the rival parties, without exception, are “good.”

“I acted according to my conscience and national duties... I wasn't waiting for a compliment from anyone... Only the people can judge my actions,” Miqati said in an interview with As Safir newspaper.

Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi handed over on Saturday the ISF leadership to Brig. Gen. Roger Salem, remarking that he was leaving his post with a "clear conscience."

The handing over of the post “comes as part of the law,” Rifi said at the graduation ceremony of expert officers held at the ISF general-directorate in Ashrafiyeh.

United States Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly expressed on Thursday her country's support for efforts to form a new government in Lebanon.

She said after holding separate talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “The process to form a new government is, and must be, a Lebanese one.”

President Michel Suleiman held talks with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Thursday to set the stage for future consultations with parliamentary blocs to name a new premier.

Suleiman, who returned from the Arab League summit in Doha on Wednesday, met with Miqati at Baabda palace for around 60 minutes to set the appropriate date for the consultations, a presidential statement said.