Speaker Nabih Berri announced on Wednesday that he will call next week for a session to extend parliament's term.

He made the declaration during his weekly meeting with lawmakers at his Ain el-Tineh residence.

Lieutenant General Raymond Thomas III, a senior official in the United States Army, arrived in Lebanon for a brief visit, An Nahar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Thomas, the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, arrived in Lebanon at the head of a military delegation.

A meeting of representatives of political blocs and parties of the March 14 alliance was held on Tuesday night to address the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Wednesday.

It said that the gatherers were in agreement over the various security developments that had taken place in Lebanon, as well as the Syrian crisis and its impact on Lebanon.

The army on Tuesday carried out raids and arrests in the southern city of Sidon, as part of a crackdown that started in the wake of deadly clashes with Islamist gunmen in the nothern regions of Tripoli and Minieh.

"Army intelligence agents raided the house of Sheikh Othman H. -- who is a supporter of fugitive cleric Ahmed al-Asir -- in the Siroub area in Sidon's eastern suburbs,” state-run National News Agency reported.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday stressed that Tripoli will never be "a safe haven for terrorism and extremism," as it condemned alleged attempts to “demonize” the residents of the northern city and depict them as proponents of an extremist “Islamic emirate.”

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc lauded “the national stance of the residents of the city of Tripoli and the North, who showed their decisive commitment to the choice of the state and their support for the government and army.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel held talks on Tuesday on the latest developments in Lebanon, most notably the vacuum in the presidency and the need to end the political deadlock over the issue.

An informed source from their meeting revealed that the two officials “discussed proposals that may lead in the upcoming phase to the election of a new president.”

The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Tuesday hailed the “preemptive operation” waged by the army in the northern regions of Tripoli and Minieh, calling for completing the security plan until the eradication of “all hubs of crime and terrorism.”

“We hope that the phenomenon of (fugitive Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker) al-Absi will not be replicated in Tripoli and Minieh,” ex-minister Salim Jreissati said after the bloc's weekly meeting, which was held only hours after bloc chief MP Michel Aoun met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and Speaker Nabih Berri.

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed on Tuesday that national unity is the most important fortification against terrorism that is threatening Lebanon and the region.

He said that “Lebanon is in need of the positions of its leaders,” while hailing the stance of Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri on terrorism.

Special Tribunal for Lebanon Contempt Judge Nicola Lettieri scheduled a pre-trial conference in the case against Al Jadeed S.A.L./NEW T.V. S.A.L. and Karma Mohamed Tahsin al-Khayat for November 3, announced the tribunal in a statement on Tuesday.

The Amicus Curiae Prosecutor submitted his views on the start of trial on October 23, arguing that he needs at least four to five weeks to prepare for trial including arranging the appearance of witnesses.

The army on Tuesday reinforced its deployment in the northern city of Tripoli in the wake of the fierce weekend clashes with Islamist gunmen, as raids to arrest fugitives continued in the nearby region of Akkar.

Army units "are continuing their deployment in the areas of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the old souks in the city of Tripoli,” the Army Command said in a statement.