Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced on Friday that the municipal elections in the northern town of Torza will be held as scheduled on Sunday.

The minister had previously issued a decree postponing the polls in the Bcharre town.

Tensions were high on Friday between Mustaqbal Movement MP Hadi Hbeish and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea over Sunday's municipal elections in the northern town of Qoubaiyat.

Geagea had stated earlier during the day that it would be inevitable that the elections take on a political turn if it seeks to advance its developmental ambitions to which Hbeish later said that the residents of the town themselves will further its aspirations.

The General Security announced that it has arrested a Palestinian refugee for his activity in trading arms and ammunition, the state-run National News Agency reported on Friday.

“Within its framework to follow-up the activities of terror groups and its sleeper cells, the General Security arrested, based on the Public Prosecutor's request, Palestinian refugee A.A. for having activities in the trade of weapons and ammunition,” said a statement issued by the General Security Directorate.

Military sources stressed on Friday that the security situation in the eastern Bekaa Valley has been controlled and that the army has deployed its troops to counter any reactions following a spat of revenge killings in the area, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

“The security situation in Bekaa is under control. The army has carried out a wide deployment plan amid fears that responses could arise after Maarouf Hamieh killed Mohammed al-Hujeiri,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser stressed that his country is keen on Lebanon’s stability, assuring that the U.S. sanctions law only targets Hizbullah, As Safir daily reported on Friday.

“There is no random or discretionary application of the U.S. law, and there are no intentions to target a specific Lebanese group. We have announced that the aim of the law is to fight Hizbullah. We are not visiting the country to negotiate the law with Lebanese delegations, but to discuss the ways of its implementation,” the daily quoted Glaser during his visit to Lebanon.

The U.S. Department of State's Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos J. Hochstein encouraged during his visit to Lebanon on Thursday the government officials to take advantage of Lebanon’s potential to attract investment to successfully develop its hydrocarbon sector.

Amos met with several Lebanese officials where discussions focused on the Lebanese and regional energy issues.

Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed Thursday that he has “the right to be alternative candidate” if Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun does not secure consensus on being elected as president.

The cabinet on Thursday avoided debate on controversial plans to construct a dam in the Janna Valley in Nahr Ibrahim, postponing the topic to its next session, as environmental activists staged a rally outside the Grand Serail.

The Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades on Thursday denied any involvement in the killing of Wissam Bleiq in Beirut after media reports said a member of the Brigades was behind the murder.

A Lebanese man set ablaze the body of an Indian worker after killing him in the Keserwan town of Okaibe, the Internal Security Forces said on Thursday.