Cable television providers have been prohibited from broadcasting for free the eight local Lebanese television stations.

The broadcast of the eight channels, Tele Liban, Future TV, LBCI, al-Jadeed, al-Manar, OTV, MTV, and NBN, through cables has been prohibited in accordance to a decree issued on April 11 by Economy Minister Alain Hakim.

Speaker Nabih Berri had expressed his concern over the escalation of the Sunni-Shiite strife in the region, while emphasizing the need to safeguard the interests of Lebanese expatriates, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.

Berri had informed the visiting Lebanese Business and Investment Council in Saudi Arabia that “he disapproves of the harsh rhetoric, by Lebanese sides, against the kingdom.”

The families of the servicemen kidnapped by jihadists in the northeastern border town of Arsal announced that they will not escalate their actions in the wake of the positive developments in the file over the past 24 hours.

They said, according to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3): “We will back down from our decision to escalate our actions and remain silent instead, in a hope to resolve this humanitarian file.”

Hizbullah will not tackle any internal Lebanese affair until it the end of the battle of Syria's al-Qalamun region, reported al-Jadeed television on Saturday.

An informed source said that “it is out of the question for Hizbullah to address any issue before the battle is resolved.”

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun agreed during their meeting on Thursday on three central issues that will emphasize understanding between the two sides, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Saturday.

Sources from the March 8 camp told the daily that “Aoun was tasked once again with controlling the presidential elections file.”

Civil Defense firefighters battled a blaze that erupted overnight at the Monroe Hotel in DownTown Beirut as an enormous plume of smoke rose from the hotel's building.

On Saturday, the Civil Defense said in a statement via Twitter that its “firefighters were able to douse a fire that erupted at the hotel's building, evacuating all workers and residents.”

Israeli gunboats violated Lebanon's territorial waters three times on Friday, according to a Lebanese army statement.

“At 8:50 am, a military vessel belonging to the Israeli enemy breached Lebanon's territorial waters off Ras al-Naqoura by 300 meters before leaving at 9:00 am towards the territorial waters of occupied Palestine,” an army statement said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed Friday that only the Lebanese army can protect Lebanon from the terrorist groups that are entrenched on its border, as he criticized “interference in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.”

“Recently, we heard some parties trying to reassure us by saying that they would protect us from Daesh (Islamic State group) and al-Nusra Front ... Haven't they read any newspapers in the past 40 years?” said Geagea at a rally organized by the LF student department in Maarab under the slogan “Hands Off Lebanon”.

The Lebanese army raided the houses of three wanted individuals in the area of al-Ouzai suburb of Beirut and succeeded in detaining all three, an army statement said on Friday.

At dawn, an army patrol raided the said area and arrested the captives on charges of arbitrarily shooting at houses. The military also detained another person for hostility against a military member.

The Islamic State handed to Lebanese authorities the corpse of a soldier, who was killed in last year's battle in Arsal, and one of a civilian who was killed in the northeastern border town's outskirts, reported the National News Agency on Friday.

It said that soldier Ali al-Ali was killed on August 2 during the clashes between the army and jihadists from the IS and al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front when they overran Arsal.