Two jihadist militants were killed and five others were wounded Thursday in a “Hizbullah ambush” in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, media reports said.

“A group of militants fell into an ambush set up by the mujahideen of the resistance in the Wadi al-Kheil area in Arsal's outskirts,” Hizbullah's al-Manar television said.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano hailed on Thursday the cooperation between the peace keeping forces and the Lebanese army, stressing that the security situation in the south is stable.

“I have hailed the close cooperation between the UNIFIL forces, the Lebanese army and its intelligence forces which would very much help us in solving the problems that could endanger security and calm in the South,” said Portolano after a meeting with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Thursday that the time has come to restore political activity in Lebanon, urging the political forces to agree on facilitating the cabinet's work in wait for the “big political settlement that begins with electing a president.”

“It is about time to end the current chaos and to restore the political activity by activating the work of the constitutional institutions,” said Salam at the opening of the Annual Arab Banking Conference.

The Kataeb Party has taken the decision to abstain from signing laws and projects at cabinet in protest against the ongoing presidential vacuum, reported the daily An Nahar on Thursday.

The party deemed last week's legislative session as illegal due to the ongoing vacancy in the presidency, which therefore renders as “unconstitutional” addressing the decrees and laws that were tackled at the session.

A panel established on Wednesday to devise a new parliamentary electoral law will hold weekly meetings in order to resolve a dispute that has resulted in the extension of parliament's term on two occasions.

The committee will hold its first meeting on December 1, revealed the daily An Nahar on Thursday.

Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb revealed that negotiations with European companies to export Lebanon's garbage will kick off on Thursday, reported As Safir newspaper.

He told the daily: “The negotiations rely on very critical calculations and technical details.”

The Islamic State has resorted to forming “cluster cells” of members in order to expand its ranks and adopting religious “brainwashing” to recruit new members, reported As Safir newspaper on Thursday.

Widely informed sources told the daily: “Confessions of some detainees have revealed that the IS has effective religious and security bodies that brainwash youths, who are mainly teenagers, in order to turn them into terrorist extremists within two months.”

A quantity of bomb-making material and arms was seized Wednesday and a Lebanese suspect was captured as several Syrians were arrested in raids across the country, as part of a massive crackdown launched in the wake of the Dahieh blasts.

“The Intelligence Bureau managed today to seize 150 kilograms of steel balls and material and tools used in the making of suicide vests,” the Internal Security Forces said in a statement.

The Change and Reform bloc led by MP Michel Aoun on Wednesday called for electing a president who would bring “change and solutions,” as it stressed that the electoral law for parliamentary polls must be “fair” for Christians.

“We are advocates of a change and solutions presidency,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

Beirut's famous Pigeons' Rock, better known as the Rock of Raouche, was illuminated Wednesday in the colors of the French and Lebanese flags in homage to the victims of the latest terrorist attacks.

French Ambassador to Lebanon Emmanuel Bonne took part in the illumination ceremony at Raouche's seaside corniche.