Hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles on mountainous roads on Friday as storm Vladimir that began two days ago blanketed the high altitudes with snow on New Year's Day.

“More than 700 cars are trapped between Aitou and Ehden and residents are urging the army to intervene,” LBCI television reported.

A huge fire ripped through a luxury Dubai hotel on Thursday near the world's tallest tower, where people were gathering to watch New Year's Eve celebrations, police said.

The Dubai government media office tweeted that a "fire has been reported in the Address Downtown hotel. Authorities are currently on-site to address the incident swiftly and safely".

Syrian anti-aircrafts opened fire at a Lebanese helicopter near the al-Kabir River on the border with Syria in the North, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

The helicopter was slightly damaged but the pilots managed to return to the Qlaiaat base, it added.

Security forces warned that the vacuum at the top state post can pave way for a favorable environment for the assassination of prominent political figures, As Safir daily reported on Thursday.

“The most dangerous thing about extending the vacuum is that it could be a favorable environment for dramatic incidents inside Lebanon that could lead to the assassination of political figures,” security forces told the daily.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji assured that they have been officially notified that the Saudi grant to purchase French weapons is “on track” and that the arms are in the making process, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Thursday.

“The $3 million grant is on track and there is no backing down,” said Moqbel to the daily.

The Lebanese army is still waiting for the Saudi grant to purchase French weapons following declarations by some officials that it has kicked off, amid reports saying that it will make no statement before receiving the arms, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

“The Lebanese army is waiting to see what will happen to the Saudi grant after announcements made by more than one official that it has kicked off. The army will not make any statement before receiving the arms particularly that it had already submitted a list of the weapons needed to the French authorities,” a senior military source told the daily.

More than 120 rebels and wounded from the flashpoint Syrian border town of Zabadani traveled Monday from Beirut's airport to Turkey as part of a U.N.-backed truce.

A convoy carrying them had earlier in the day crossed from Syria into Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing.

Airport police thwarted at dawn an attempt to smuggle two kilograms of narcotics through the Rafik Hariri International Airport, the state-run National News Agency said on Monday.

The assailant, a Brazilian national, tried to smuggle the drugs to Lebanon from Brazil through Ethiopia, NNA added.

A delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon will visit Washington and New York in January, following a U.S. law that imposed sanctions on banks that “knowingly” do business with Hizbullah, An Nahar daily reported on Monday.

The delegation will be headed by the ABL chief Joseph Tarabay.

The Army Intelligence referred on Saturday six detainees to the judicial authorities for having links to the terrorist cell led by jihadist Mohammed al Satem, the army said in a statement.

“The army referred six detainees of the terrorist cell led by fugitive Mohammed al-Satem to the judiciary. The cell had plans to establish, in collaboration with another group in Khirbet Daoud, a security zone to target and control army positions in a bid to facilitate the entry of Islamic State members from Syria to Lebanon to establish an emirate in the area of Akkar,” the statement added.