Lebanese outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri inaugurated his new position as "leader of the opposition" by lashing out at Hezbollah, accusing it of using its military powers as means to tip political disputes in its favor. Hariri characterized the Shiite group's arsenal as a national problem that is poisoning Lebanon. March 14, he said, will showcase the Lebanese who reject "the tutelage of weapons over the constitution." This sharp censure of Hezbollah comes as the March 14 coalition officially announced that it will not take part in the new government and began preparations for its own "Day of Anger" on March 14 of next week.

But some of March 14's founding pillars will be not be partaking in this year's commemoration. Friend-turned-foe, Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt, joined Hezbollah's side and said its weapons are necessary for "resistance". Furthermore, he labeled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)  "a tool used by the United States to undermine Hezbollah," claiming that Senators John McCain and Joseph Liberman told him during their visit to Beirut last week that the Shiite group assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He went on to claim that the timing and context of the congressional delegation was part of ongoing American pressure against Lebanon. The delegation, however, was in Lebanon as part of a broader regional tour during the congressional recess period. Jumblatt's comments were understood to be a further effort to win grace from Hezbollah and Syria for past political positions.

Jumblatt and the Hezbollah-led coalition went beyond attacking the STL in the media -  this week their representatives in government officially snubbed a legal request by the tribunal. Lebanon's caretaker Minister of Telecommunications Charbel Nahas, who belongs to  Christian Leader Michel Aoun's bloc, refused to provide the international tribunal with requested documents and phone records, claiming that the request was not in line with Lebanese law.

This is perhaps but a prelude to how a more Hezbollah-friendly government, now believed to be in the making, would deal with its legal commitments to the tribunal. Government formation efforts, however, have stalled as the dispute among factions within the Hezbollah-backed March 8 coalition has not yet been resolved.

Meanwhile, in Washington, despite recent statements by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States should continue its military aid to Lebanon, Congress is still considering halting aid to Lebanese institutions, especially the Lebanese army. In a hearing held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton praised the Army for its cooperation with the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in South Lebanon, and voiced her concern about the repercussions that a weak Lebanese Army would have on the security of Israel. She said the U.S. would review "its composition, its policies, and its behavior to determine the extent of Hezbollah's political influence over it."

But the hesitations on the Hill tell a different story: President Obama's administration has requested about $100 million in military aid to Lebanon for the 2012 fiscal year; this is far from being approved. Congress wants to send a clear message to Lebanon on potential repercussions that the composition and and policies of a new government could have on its international standing and relations with the United States.