Families of soldiers abducted by the Islamic State group briefly blocked a main road in Downtown Beirut demanding knowing the fate of their sons after more than three years in the Islamic State group's captivity.

The relatives blocked the Banks Road in Riad al-Solh and demanded that “Prime Minister Saad Hariri come down to the street to negotiate with them.”

The US Administration admires Lebanon's policy and its ability to confront terrorism and has therefore encouraged President Donald Trump to strengthen ties with the country, al-Diyar daily reported on Friday.

“The US administration has absolute confidence in Army Commander General Joseph Aoun and in Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, therefore it is unlikely for the US Treasury to impose new sanctions on Lebanon,” a report published in the daily said.

State Minister for Affairs of the Displaced Moein Merhebi warned of the consequences if Hizbullah carries out a military assault in the outskirts of Arsal, and stressed that the return of the Syrian refugees must strictly be coordinated with the United Nations, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Friday.

Merehbi said Hizbullah's assault against IS militants in Arsal impacts Lebanon, “the military operation has negative impact, it (Hizbullah) must not involve itself. We have a Lebanese national army that is doing the job in the best way possible," he said.

The government on Wednesday avoided a possible dispute over the mechanism of appointing civil servants by postponing the debate to another session as it approved an item on wind power generation.

Several hundred displaced Syrians in Lebanon have returned home on Wednesday to the Syrian town of Asal al-Ward, the National News Agency said.

Around 300 refuges, the second batch since beginning of 2017, left the al-Nour encampment in the northeastern border town of Arsal to Syria's Asal al-Ward, which lies in the western part of Syria's Qalamoun, NNA said.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri received a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) where talks touched on several issues including the US sanctions on Hizbullah, Hariri's media office said.

The delegation was headed by Joseph Torbey who said after the meeting: “We discussed several issues with Prime Minister Hariri, including his upcoming visit to the United States.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has welcomed the liberation of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group as a "great victory" for the Iraqi people.

The ministry called for intensified regional efforts to contain the spread of terrorism "from one nest to another."

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday urged an end to what he called a “storm of hatred” against Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan on Monday praised the Lebanese army and emphasized that its conduct during the security sweep on encampments of refugees in the northeastern border town of Arsal targeted terrorists.

“The conduct of the Lebanese army during the military operation targeted terrorists in the outskirts of Arsal, it was not against the refugees encampments. It was of a security nature,” said Hassan during a memorial service.

The Free Patriotic Movement is weighing the possibility of replacing some of the ministers representing the movement in the government over “unsatisfactory performance and productivity”, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

The daily quoted some well-informed sources, they said the FPM is considering “a ministerial reshuffle” of some of its ministers, but that the idea has not “matured yet.”