Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil announced Monday that Lebanon “prevented the fall” of Syria, which has been witnessing a bloody conflict since around four years, as he stressed that Damascus must not interfere in the Lebanese affairs.

“It is our duty not to betray or stab Syria, because no matter how much circumstances change, Syria will remain our close neighbor, seeing as we have the scourge of Israel on the other side of the border,” said Bassil in a speech before Lebanese expats at the Arab Social Club in the Venezuelan city of Maturin.

Hassan Ghandour, who hails from the southern city of Sidon, was killed in the conflict in Syria.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said that his family confirmed its son's death in Syria.

An Israeli military vessel violated Lebanon's territorial waters at dawn Monday and threatened a Lebanese fishing boat.

“In a new violation of Lebanese sovereignty and (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1701, a gunboat belonging to the Israeli enemy violated the Lebanese territorial waters off Ras al-Naqoura at 3:40 am,” the Lebanese army said in a statement.

A child was sexually assaulted as a school in the northern region of Akkar, reported the National News Agency on Monday.

It said that the father of a three-and-a-half-year-old child filed a complaint at the al-Arida police station saying that he was sexually abused at the Talmaan public school.

A Hizbullah delegation visited on Monday the Tashnag party headquarters in Borj Hammoud and met with its newly elected Secretary General MP Hagop Pakradounian.

The delegation, which was headed by Hizbullah politburo chief Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed, included the head of Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad, MP Ali al-Meqdad, Minister Mohammed Fneish, former lawmaker Amin Sherri and politburo member Mahmoud Qmati.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour called on Monday for an "immediate investigation" into the death of a baby in the northern Akkar district after hospitals allegedly refused to admit him.

Abou Faour ordered the investigation with Rahhal and al-Youssef hospitals.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq has said he would not approve the registration of contracts of civil marriage performed in Lebanon despite coming under pressure.

The minister told al-Akhbar daily published on Monday that his stance “would not change.”

Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujeiri, an intermediary in the case of Lebanese hostages, has denied that he carried with him new demands from jihadists upon his return from the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Al-Hujeiri returned from the mountainous area on Sunday after he met with the militants from al-Nusra Front who along with fighters from the Islamic State extremist group took Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage in August last year.

The army opened artillery fire Sunday evening after detecting movements by militant groups in the outskirts of the Bekaa border towns of Arsal and al-Qaa.

“The Lebanese army fired artillery at movements by the armed groups in the Wadi Rafeq area in al-Qaa's outskirts,” LBCI television reported.

The Free Patriotic Movement has announced that a much-anticipated meeting between FPM chief MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will be held when the two parties decide to start discussing the presidential crisis in their ongoing dialogue.

“Dialogue with the LF has reached a political agreement through the document of principles and any coming session between the two parties will be limited to the issue of presidency,” MP Alain Aoun of the FPM announced in an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper to be published Monday.