Tueni's family and the family of An-Nahar newspaper held a memorial on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the assassination of MP and journalist Gebran Tueni at St. Georges Cathedral in downtown Beirut.

"Gebran Tueni never bartered his principles or sold his conscious," Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Aude said during his sermon.

Fatima al-Issawi on Sunday announced her resignation from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, citing "professional reasons."

"I announce my resignation as a spokesperson for the STL for professional reasons," Issawi said in a statement delivered to the state-run National News Agency.

Deputy Hizbullah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon was "dedicated to eliminate Hizbullah," but added that nevertheless, "Hizbullah is comfortable with itself."

"Lebanon today is facing a conspiracy launched by the Special Tribunal," he said.

Sunni leaders from opposite ends of Lebanon's political spectrum on Sunday urged supporters to stand firm against the Shiite group Hizbullah, at a time of high tension between the two Muslim communities.

An MP loyal to Prime Minister Saad Hariri and a radical Salafist leader jointly accused the army of serving as cover for Hizbullah, urging a gathering of 1,500 to reject an alleged military crackdown on their community.

For the second day, Lebanon is still at the mercy of the strong storm that has resulted in major damage throughout the country, destroying property and crops and turning roads into swamps.

The security forces and civil defense teams have remained on high alert to attend to any emergency.

Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra stated on Sunday that the party supports a settlement that maintains Lebanon’s stability and which does not take place at the expense of the martyrs.

He also rejected the mentality of setting deadlines and statements alleging that Lebanon will be altered after the indictment in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is released by saying: “No one is capable of changing anything on their own.”

Lebanon First MP Oqab Saqr called on the Hizbullah leadership to immediately retract MP Mohammad Raad's recent statements in which he set a deadline for the Saudi-Syrian initiative to yield its results.

Saqr told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat Sunday that such statements "harm the ongoing Lebanese settlement aimed at protecting Lebanon's security."

The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad denied on Sunday media reports that had quoted him as saying that he had given a three or four-day deadline for the Saudi-Syrian initiative to yield results.

He said in a statement that the reports were “inaccurate”.

The Saudi-Syrian initiative to end the Lebanese political crisis has placed priority on Lebanese consensus on foreign efforts to end the internal disputes because any external solution is bound to be met with challenges.

These efforts coincided met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's statements in Paris that called for the Lebanese to reach an agreement among themselves before receiving the Saudi-Syrian assistance.

The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad warned on Saturday that "Lebanon's image would automatically change if the indictment is released without a settlement being reached in the country."

He added: "Everyone must assume the responsibility of their actions."