The Internal Security Forces declared Friday that the third phase of the controversial traffic law will be implemented starting June.

ISF said in its communique that the third phase will include “the implementation of the old traffic law according to the new imposed fines,” in addition to the first and second phases, until the end of July.

Speaker Nabih Berri described the political situation in Lebanon as an “inverted cup of water” but stressed that the dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal Movement was guaranteeing stability.

“The country is functioning in reverse order and illogically,” Berri, whose remarks were published in local dailies on Friday, told his visitors.

Several youth from the northeastern border town of Arsal allegedly headed to its outskirts to join jihadists despite the heavy deployment of the Lebanese army in the village.

Concerned sources informed As Safir newspaper Friday that during the past two days at least ten youth from Arsal headed to its outskirts to join the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Thursday that Hizbullah's fighting alongside the regime in Syria and a judicial verdict such as the one issued against ex-minister Michel Samaha are factors that encourage the proliferation of extremist groups similar to the Islamic State in Lebanon.

“Hizbullah's presence in Syria and a verdict such as Michel Samaha's verdict are factors that pave the ground for the presence of groups similar to the IS in Lebanon,” said Geagea in an interview on LBCI television.

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji stressed Thursday that the military institution will not tolerate any “distortion or underestimation” of its efforts to fight terrorist groups on the border with Syria.

“The extraordinary circumstances that the country is going through and the internal debates over the current junctures and issues will not at all affect the army's determination to preserve civil peace and continue to confront the terrorist groups on the eastern border,” Qahwaji emphasized during an inspection visit to the headquarters of the First Artillery Regiment in Karantina.

Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc stressed Thursday that it is “everyone's duty” to confront the jihadist groups that are entrenched in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Arsal, as it urged the government to take action.

“Confronting the threat of the terrorist gangs that are occupying Arsal's outskirts is everyone's national duty,” the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The army deployed heavily on Thursday in the restive northeastern border town of Arsal and stepped its security measures, a move that was welcomed by the anxious residents.

Units from the army's Eighth Brigade “entered Arsal from Wadi Hmayyed and al-Masyadeh,” state-run National News Agency reported.

A Lebanese man holding a Canadian passport was remanded in Cypriot police custody on Thursday after two tonnes of potential bomb-making material was found in his home, police said.

They said the man, 26, whose name was not disclosed, appeared in court in the southern resort town of Larnaca for a hearing held behind closed doors "in the interests of national security".

Prime Minister Tammam Salam is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia next Tuesday for talks with top Saudi officials.

During his two-day trip, Salam will meet with King Salman and senior Saudi figures.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has stressed that the army's role lies in protecting Lebanese territories and the border area, which stops it from entering other countries.

Sources close to Salam said the prime minister does not object to discussing the issue of the northeastern border town of Arsal during Thursday's session.