The Head of the Syndicate of Central Bank employees Abbas Awada announced on Tuesday a temporary suspension of an open-ended strike that began last Friday and almost paralyzed the country.

President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a meeting Monday evening at the Baabda Palace, amid a growing crisis related to proposed austerity measures.

Information obtained by TV networks said discussions were supposed to tackle "an agreement on the state budget, addressing protests and strikes, and finding a formula whose responsibility would be shouldered by the three parties."

The contacts between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh are "positive," after all ambiguities on which BDL employees based their strike were clarified, a media report said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat noted Monday that the austerity measures proposed by Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil remain "better than suicide."

The Syndicate of Gas Station Owners in Lebanon warned Monday of a fuel shortage crisis in connection with the open-ended strike declared by the central bank's employees over proposed cuts to their benefits. 

The Beirut Stock Exchange suspended trading on Monday due to an open-ended strike declared by the employees of Lebanon's central bank, adding to the country's economic crisis as the government discusses an austerity budget to avoid an economic crash.

The Cabinet convened at the Grand Serail on Monday to resume austere budget discussions marred by labor street protests and open-ended strike announced by state employees of the Banque du Liban that is threatening to paralyze the country’s banking sector.

The Israeli forces have resumed the construction and expansion of the military road leading to Hunin military site by lifting earth mounds with bulldozers, the state-run National News Agency reported on Monday.

In light of wide labor strikes protesting the government's reported plans to introduce salary cuts as part of austerity measures, Speaker Nabih Berri warned about any further delay in approving the country’s 2019 state budget, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Intensive contacts are underway to end an open ended strike launched by the syndicate of Banque du Liban employees in a bid to “avoid the repercussions of the strike on the overall banking transactions,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

According to sources quoted by the daily, President Michel Aoun has “encouraged the ongoing efforts in this direction to ensure the resumption of normal movement in the exchange market, the clearing room,where transactions are settled between banks, to prevent a reduction in the circulation volume of Lebanese and foreign currencies in the market,” they said.