A number of young men on Wednesday blocked all the roads leading to Tripoli’s al-Nour Square to demand the release of the rest of the Islamist prisoners, after authorities freed seven Lebanese Islamists on Tuesday and two Palestinian Islamists on Wednesday.

The city center was witnessing severe traffic jam as a result of the move, state-run National News Agency reported.

Head of Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad said on Sunday that Hizbullah hopes dialogue will lead to “a methodology that guides Lebanese towards the state principle”, pointing out that rational solutions are “necessary to preserve the security of the North.”

During a memorial ceremony in the southern town of Kafra, Raad said that “dialogue is a permanent necessity because it fortifies Lebanon, and contributes to finding appropriate solutions to the crises that beset our country.”

U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Robert Watkins warned on Saturday that Lebanese authorities won’t be able to keep the policy of keeping Lebanon at a distance from the Syrian crisis if the situation in the neighboring country worsens.

In an interview with An Nahar daily following a tour to the eastern Bekaa valley, Watkins said the policy has been so far successful. “But it could be difficult to preserve it if the situation deteriorates in Syria.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati denied accusations that he is arming certain groups in his hometown of Tripoli, saying he provides the northern city’s residents with education and projects.

In remarks to As Safir daily published Friday, Miqati said: “These remarks are totally rejected.”

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly hailed on Wednesday the resumption of the national dialogue between Lebanese foes, warning of turning Lebanon into an arms smuggling hub to Syria.

“What matters now is the Lebanese people’s willingness to safeguard the country and not what the foreign powers want,” Plumbly told As Safir newspaper published on Wednesday.

The Phalange Party hailed on Monday the resumption of the national dialogue, hoping that the “reconciliatory atmosphere it created will have a positive effect on the tense situation on the ground.”

It hoped in a statement after its weekly politburo statement that the dialogue would be “employed in achieving a reconciliatory atmosphere with the state through recognizing its authority in the political, security, and military fields.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said on Monday that igniting the north front and dragging the country into strife is the only alternative to dialogue “which certain political powers oddly refuse to participate in.”

In his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine, Jumblat expressed his concern over the security events erupting in the northern city of Tripoli, specifically the tit-for-tat abductions that took place Sunday night between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen rival neighborhoods.

The northern city of Tripoli witnessed security violations on Saturday as mild sniper activity renewed in breach of the ceasefire while the army remained deployed in the city.

The National News Agency reported that a child was slightly wounded in sniper gunshots in Bab al-Tabbaneh.

Secretary General of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry Mohammed Ali al-Zahir denied on Saturday that his country decided to temporarily “postpone” and “cancel” any official visits to Lebanon.

“The recent reports are false,” Zahir told reporters after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail.

One person was killed and two others were wounded on Friday as exchange of gunfire renewed between the rival Tripoli neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, in the latest such violation of a fragile ceasefire.

“Cautious calm engulfed the area after army units fired heavily for around 10 minutes at the sources of gunfire, silencing the sniper fire,” state-run National News Agency reported later on Friday.