Officials welcomed on Tuesday the release of the servicemen that were kidnapped by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front, while hoping that efforts will be made to ensure the release of the hostages held by the Islamic State extremist group.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour paid a visit to the sit-in held by the servicemen's families in downtown Beirut, pledging that the “state will not waver in exerting efforts to release the remaining hostages.”

The Lebanese army arrested overnight a member of Osama Mansour's terrorist group in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh, the National News Agency said on Tuesday.

Khaled Makkieh was arrested in the vegetable market of Bab al-Tabbaneh for participating in attacks against army positions in the northern city of Tripoli, NNA added.

The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front released on Tuesday 16 servicemen it had abducted from the northeastern border town of Arsal in 2014.

The servicemen were released through a Qatari-mediated deal that also included a prisoner swap to release a number of inmates from Lebanese jails.

Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun has informed his ally Hizbullah of his rejection to nominate Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh for the post of presidency, An Nahar daily said on Tuesday.

Aoun, himself a candidate of March 8 alliance, has also informed Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geaega of the stance, added the daily.

Al-Nusra Front announced Monday afternoon that negotiations with Lebanon over a prisoner swap deal were still in the phase of “devising a serious mechanism,” as several media reports said the talks were making progress again after Sunday's setback.

“Negotiations over the captive servicemen who are in our custody are still in the phase of devising a serious mechanism for implementing what has been agreed on,” al-Nusra announced via Twitter.

The army carried out a series of raids on Monday in several regions, during which 81 Syrians were arrested.

An army statement said the Syrian nationals were apprehended for entering Lebanon illegally.

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr decided to disregard allegations that tape recordings presented as evidence to the court in the case of former Minister Michel Samaha are forged, the state-run National News Agency said on Monday.

Samaha's defense team had presented claims to the Military Court of Cassation that tape recordings in the case were fake.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said on Monday that he will not stop the attempts to release the kidnapped soldiers after the set back suffered on Sunday due to the last minute impossible demands set by the kidnappers, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

“I will not stop working and striving. I will continue the efforts despite the policy of blackmail. Those are our sons and the sons of the nation and I will not give up on them,” he told the daily.

Head of the al-Mustaqbal movement Saad Hariri and Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh continue their efforts to facilitate the hurdles of the latter's nomination for the post of the presidency, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday.

Franjieh met on Sunday with head of the Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil for over two hours, but the two men were unable to reach a common agreement on the controversial file of the presidency never the less expressing keenness to preserve the cohesion of the March 8 alliance, the daily added.

The next round of talks between al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah party are expected to resume on Monday, al-Mustaqbal daily reported Sunday.

Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal officials have been meeting in Ain el-Tineh under the auspices of Berri since December to defuse sectarian hostility linked to the war in Syria.