Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi stated on Saturday that the repercussions of Syria's conflict on Lebanon are “alarming”.

“The ongoing war in Syria has had tremendous consequences on its neighboring countries, particularly on Lebanon,” al-Arabi told MTV.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced on Saturday that the number of Syrians and Palestinians who have fled the neighboring war-torn country and came to Lebanon has exceeded 212,000.

“These 212,000 refugees are currently receiving aid from the Lebanese government, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations,” a statement released by the U.N. said.

The Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform (CCER) held on Saturday a sit-in near Samir Kassir memorial garden in Downtown Beirut to protest the adoption of any sectarian electoral law during the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The sit-in held under the slogan “No for Any Sectarian Electoral Law,” was held in participation of a number of civil society organizations.

Several protesters demonstrated on Saturday near the headquarters of the French UNIFIL peacekeepers in the southern village of Deir Kifa over the ongoing detention of Lebanese leftist militant Georges Abdallah.

Joseph Abdallah, the brother of former guerrilla in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Abdallah, who has spent 28 years in jail, warned that demonstrators will hold sit-ins near French institutions across Lebanese territories and will hassle all French nationals in the country.

Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami urged the state on Saturday to put an end to arms proliferation following an attack on his convoy in the northern city of Tripoli.

In remarks to visiting delegations, Karami played down Friday's assault that erupted after gunmen from the neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh demanding the release of Islamists held in Roumieh prison clashed with his bodyguards and then tossed a grenade at the convoy, setting a four-wheeler on fire.

The Bulgarian foreign ministry has declined to comment on a report that an investigation will link Hizbullah to the July 2012 tourist bombing that killed five Israelis.

On Thursday, Israel's Channel 2 reported that the Bulgarian investigation, which will be released soon, found Hizbullah was behind the bombing in Burgas that killed the five tourists and their Bulgarian driver.

President Michel Suleiman traveled to Moscow on Saturday for talks with his Russian counterpart and to receive an award on his role in calling for dialogue and opening channels of communication between bickering parties.

Suleiman's three-day visit at the head of a delegation that includes deputy Prime Minister Samir Moqbel comes following an official invitation sent by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I.

A meeting held between the head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, the leader of the Phalange party and a March 14 opposition lawmaker confirmed the strong alliance between them, sources said Saturday.

An Nahar daily said the meeting that brought together al-Mustaqbal's Fouad Saniora, Amin Gemayel, who heads the Phalange, and March 14 independent MP Butros Harb was held on Thursday night on the sidelines of a social event.

Speaker Nabih Berri said Saturday that a meeting he has held with al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora needs “follow up” after they did not reach consensus on an electoral draft-law.

The meeting was “honest and transparent, and needs follow up,” Berri told An Nahar newspaper.

A Lebanese couple have challenged the sectarian personal status code in Lebanon, tying the knot in a first of a kind civil marriage in the country on November 11, 2012, LBCI television reported on Friday.

“Kholoud Sukkariyah and Nidal Darwish removed the reference of their sects from their respective IDs and based their marital contract on Decree No. 60 L.R,” said Lawyer Talal Husseini, who authored the draft.