The schools faced chaos on Wednesday on whether to open their doors to students or to commit to the call by head of the teachers union, Nehme Mahfoud, to go on with their strike aimed at rejecting the deal that was made between the General Labor Confederation (GLC), the cabinet and the Economic Committees.

Mahfoud slammed the GLC, describing the negotiations as “humiliating.”

Ministers loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun have expressed outrage at a deal reached to raise wages and increase benefits, saying the agreement was only a “tranquilizer.”

The ministers withdrew from the cabinet session held at the Grand Serail on Tuesday to express their reservations about the deal that did not meet the aspirations of the General Labor Confederation as well.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea hoped on Tuesday that Hizbullah would allow the government to perform its duties in order for it to protect the Lebanese people’s rights.

He said after holding talks with the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Mustapha Toufic: “If only Hizbullah would leave the Lebanese people alone.”

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun renewed on Tuesday his rejection of the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, slamming any potential United Nations Security Council sanctions against Lebanon should it fail to fund it.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting: “Any sanctions against Lebanon over this matter are tantamount to a military invasion.”

The General Labor Confederation on Tuesday decided to suspend the strike that was scheduled tomorrow, expressing reservations over the Cabinet's decision along with the Economic committees.

“PM Miqati decided to increase 200,000L.L on the wages ranging from 500,000 and 1 million, and to increase 300,000 L.L on wages ranging from 1 million to 1.5 million as well as increase social services.” Information Minister Walid Daouk stated.

U.S. President Barack Obama granted Lebanon a waiver to allow the continuation of U.S. assistance to Lebanon, which was at risk of being blocked due to Lebanon’s Tier Three ranking in the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, said the U.S. Embassy in a statement on Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly informed Prime Minister Najib Miqati of Obama’s decision on October 4.

The military court sentenced on Tuesday ten Lebanese and Palestinians to several years of hard labor for planning to target the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

They were also accused of belonging to a terrorism group, attacking civil and military institutions, and possessing arms and explosives that they used to terrorize people and attack UNIFIL.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has described Lebanon’s pluralism as a “treasure” but warned against what he called “the illness of loyalties” to other countries both in the East and West.

At a ceremony held in his honor in the city of Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio on Monday, al-Rahi said: “Pluralism is a big treasure for Lebanon and what distinguishes Lebanon is its plurality.”

A prominent Lebanese-American businessman, who says he spent two years as an "economic hostage" in Qatar, has left the Persian Gulf nation and expects to return this week to his family in the United States.

Forty-seven-year-old Nasser Beydoun joined a Qatari investment group in 2007 to become chief executive officer of the Wataniya Restaurants chain.

The house of a Lebanese villager in the northern town of Hnaider was hit by two rockets that came from the Syrian side of the border in the area of Wadi Khaled, Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) reported Tuesday.

VDL said that the rockets hit the home of Khaled al-Assaad on Monday night but did not cause any casualties.