Politicians have asserted the need to hold the municipal elections which are slated for later this year on time over concerns that they would face the same fate as the parliamentary elections.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had therefore assured that the elections will be held on time and that the term of the current councils will not be extended.

The Kataeb Party on Monday accused some parties of seeking to impose a “sole presidential candidate” on the country.

Kataeb “condemns some parties' attempt to practice subjugation and confine the presidential elections to voting to a sole candidate out of the others,” said the party in a statement issued after its political bureau's weekly meeting.

Following reports claiming that Russia is another suggested destination after Sierra Leone to receive Lebanon's trash, Moscow has strongly denied the allegations bringing the months long file back to square one.

A Russian diplomatic source asserted on Monday that it is impossible for Russia to receive Lebanon's waste due to high costs it entails in addition to the fact that the decomposing trash has become out-of-date for recycling.

Israeli troops brought in military reinforcements in the two areas of Zebdine and Bastra that lie in the Shebaa farms, the National News Agency reported on Sunday.

The step came after residents of the region of Arqoub crossed 20 meters inside the border line in protest to Israel bulldozing acres of land in the said areas.

Immense material damages were reported when a fire razed a dormitory of employees of Roadster diner in the city of Jbeil.

A huge fire erupted at dawn in the living quarters of the employees at the entrance of the northern city of Jbeil, the National News Agency reported on Sunday.

Clashes have renewed overnight between extremist groups of al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal and the Zamrani crossing in the outskirts of al-Jarajir in Qalamoun, the Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported on Sunday.

The IS had launched an attack at the al-Malahi area in a bid to control the last bastion of al-Nusra.

Head of the Beirut airport Fadi al-Hassan assured on Sunday that the security at the Rafic Hariri International Airport is not vulnerable as circulated in media reports stressing that the facility is still up to the international safety standards.

“The security at Beirut airport is not exposed and we are still within the international standards. Reports that were circulated in the media were only minor issues dealing with the equipment that need updating,” al-Hassan told pan-Arab al-Hayat daily.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geaega said that he anticipated the Maarab rapprochement with founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun to be one step in support of the Taef accord as he stressed there was no dialogue between the LF and Hizbullah.

“The Maarab rapprochement is one of the major steps in support of the Taef accord for the next phase,” he told al-Riyadh daily in an interview on Friday.

A vulture captured in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel has been returned home with the help of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Israeli authorities said Friday.

"In a discreet operation with the Lebanese and with the great help of U.N. forces and the U.N. liaison unit, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was able to return the vulture that was caught a few days ago by villagers of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon," a statement said.

Kataeb deputy chief Salim al-Sayegh said on Friday that the dialogue between the party and Hizbullah was launched years ago and that it has somewhat ceased during the preparations for the Kataeb elections, assuring that the meetings will resume this week.

“Dialogue between the Kataeb and Hizbullah started years ago, particularly following the visit made by (former) President Amin Gemayel to (Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah after the martyrdom of (his son) Pierre Gemeyel,” Sayegh told al-Akhbar daily.