Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq has revealed that the Lebanese army formed a committee to investigate the jihadists' alleged beheading of a soldier who was taken captive in the northeastern border town of Arsal earlier this month.
Al-Mashnouq told local dailies published on Friday that the committee of experts is probing the images of what appears to be the beheading of the soldier.

Progressive Socialist Party Leader Walid Jumblat proposed the candidacy of former Minister Jean Obeid for the presidency, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.
According to the daily, Jumblat expressed his ultimate backing to Obeid.

Speaker Nabih Berri has asked the members of his parliamentary bloc to submit their candidacies for the elections as a move aimed at sending a clear message of his rejection to extend the legislature's mandate.
Al-Joumhouria newspaper said that Berri telephoned all members of his Development and Liberation bloc to urge them to announce their candidacies starting Friday.

Protesters blocked several roads Thursday in the Akkar town of Halba over unconfirmed reports that the ruthless Islamic State jihadist group has beheaded a captive Lebanese soldier called Ali al-Sayyed.
Earlier, an alleged IS militant calling himself Abu Musaab Hafid al-Baghdadi posted pictures on his Twitter account that show him cutting off the head of a blindfolded man with a medium beard.

The Shin Bet security service has announced the arrest of a number of Israeli Arabs suspected of contacting Hizbullah in an alleged attempt by the party to carry out attacks in the Jewish State, Israeli media reported.
Four men were arrested in Israel for having direct contact with Hizbullah, the Shin Bet said in a statement on Thursday.

Hundreds of civil society activists marched through Beirut on Thursday to warn against another extension of the parliament's tenure, saying the judiciary will be responsible before history should it approve of such a step.
The demonstrators marched from outside the interior ministry building in Sanayeh towards the Riad al-Solh Square which neighbors the parliament headquarters in downtown Beirut.

The army opened fire overnight Thursday at a group of Syrians in a minibus, who were trying to infiltrate the country from the border crossing of Ain Ata in the Bekaa southwest of Rashaya.
According to the National News Agency, armed clashes erupted between the army and a group of Syrians in a minibus as they tried to illegally cross into Lebanon from Ain Ata.

The government on Thursday issued a decree legalizing the passing certificates that will be granted to students after official exam papers were not corrected due to a teachers' boycott, as Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq warned that “thousands” of jihadist militants are deployed on the country's eastern border with Syria.
“The issue of Arsal has become more dangerous than we already know and the interior minister told us that the Islamic State has become on the border along with new reinforcements,” several media outlets quoted Education Minister Elias Bou Saab as saying after the cabinet session that was held at the Grand Serail.

The army raided on Thursday the Khirbet Daoud residence of the family of Atef Saadeddine, the soldier who defected from the military in July, reported al-Jadeed television.
It arrested Khaled, the soldier's brother, without disclosing the charges behind the detention.

The Interior Ministry issued on Thursday a decree calling on candidates seeking to run in the 2014 parliamentary elections to submit their nominations.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq issued a decree to hold the elections on November 16.
