Head of the Public Relations division of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Lt. Col. Joseph Msallam said on Saturday that freedom of expression is a righteous demand only if it is practiced under the law.

“We believe in freedom of expression which is a constitutional right, but it should be expressed under the law, which means the protests should not be violent” said Msallam in a press conference he held against the backdrop of Thursday's downtown demonstrations that turned violent and stretchered till a late hour.

Progressive Socialist party chief Walid Jumblat stated on Saturday that although he consents the requests of the civil society activists, but it is unacceptable to drag the country to chaos.

“We have expressed our support for the demands and slogans raised by the civil society activists. We even condemned ourselves. But that does not mean that we will accept to stand idle and watch the country being dragged to chaos and systematic destruction of its economy, touristic and commercial institutions,” said Jumblat to the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Friday that there are some parties trying to exploit the civil society protests for interests that do not serve the Lebanese, stressing that the stability and security of the country are a "red line."

“It is clear that there are some parties trying to deviate the civil society from their goals, and are trying to take advantage of their moves for interests that do not serve the Lebanese nor the goals that triggered the civil mobilizations,” media reports quoted Salam.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim held a meeting on Friday with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in light of the latest “negligence” accusations fired at Ibrahim by families of the Arsal abducted servicemen.

The relatives of the servicemen held a sit-in and blocked the road on Friday near the Interior Ministry demanding the resumption of efforts to free their sons which they said have been stalled lately, accusing Ibrahim and Speaker Nabih Berri of “negligence.”

The relatives of the kidnapped servicemen held a sit-in on Friday in front of the Interior Ministry and blocked the road near the Central Bank in the Beirut area of Hamra, demanding the release of their sons after more than 14 months of captivity.

The families also prevented the security forces from reopening the Banks Street in downtown Beirut after it was blocked during the civil society protests on Thursday.

The Lebanese army shot a Syrian national in the leg on Friday after he attempted to escape during an army raid on the Bekaa border area of Masharii al-Qaa, the state-run National News Agency said.

The Lebanese army carried out raids on the Syrian encampments in the area, NNA said on Friday.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter hinted on Friday that the Russian interference in Syria could make choosing a new Lebanese head of state more difficult.

"We are concerned about the effect of the Russian intervention in Syria on Lebanon. But so far it is still not clear how that would affect the internal dynamics," Shorter told An Nahar daily in an interview.

The Free Patriotic Movement began mobilizing its supporters for a mass demonstration that it has called for on Sunday after the collapse of a deal on the promotion of military officers.

FPM chief Jebran Bassil had called for a mass rally outside the presidential palace in Baabda on October 11.

Baalbek's sub-security council will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss ways to cope with the security chaos that has aggravated recently in the city in light of calls on the army to maintain security and control the proliferation of illegal arms, As Safir daily said.

The meeting is expected to take place at noon and to be headed by Baalbek Mayor Bachir Khodr.

Several soldiers were injured on Wednesday in shelling on the outskirts of the northern Beqaa Valley of Ras Baalbek, the National News Agency reported.

An army position in the neighborhood of Tallet Jarash came under shelling slightly, injuring five of its members.