Unidentified gunmen on Thursday shot and wounded two residents of the Tripoli district of Jabal Mohsen in the nearby al-Mallouleh area during a “personal dispute.”

“Two young men who hail from Jabal Mohsen have been shot and wounded,” OTV reported.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lamented on Thursday the ongoing vacancy in the presidency, urging lawmakers to exercise their duty and elect a president.

He said: “Lebanon has been deprived of a president for factional reasons.”

The government stressed on Thursday that it will not compromise over the safety and lives of the soldiers and policemen held captive by Islamist militants since August.

“The cabinet will not carry out an exchange for the captives and it will contact influential countries to help it resolve the case,” said Information Minister Ramzi Jreij after a government session at the Grand Serail chaired by Premier Tammam Salam.

Militants from the ruthless Islamic State jihadist group have executed a Lebanese citizen, around a week after they beheaded a Lebanese army sergeant in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Arsal, state-run National News Agency reported Thursday.

“An armed group from the terrorists of the IS has executed the citizen Kayed Ghadada, who hails from the town of Arsal,” NNA said.

Relatives of the abducted troops and policemen on Thursday called on Army chief General Jean Qahwaji to “arrest all ministers” and swap them for the hostages, warning that the state has 24 hours to act or face unknown consequences.

“We have an initiative that involves the (army's) arrest of all ministers and swapping them for the troops held by the militants out of respect for the state's prestige,” a spokesman for the families said during a lengthy sit-in outside the Grand Serail, where the cabinet was holding a regular session.

Speaker Nabih Berri and his parliamentary bloc submitted their candidacies on Thursday for the parliamentary elections.

According to the National News Agency, Berri, who is also the head of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc, submitted his candidacy before leaving the country on a private visit.

MP Ibrahim Kanaan has reportedly agreed with Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi and General Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud to suspend the summonses issued against several young men who have burned the Islamic State group's flag in Beirut.

Rifi had asked Hammoud to investigate the case when a video showing several men burning the IS flag in Ashrafieh's Sassine square was circulated on social media.

Electricite du Liban contract workers prevented on Thursday full-time employees from entering the premises of the company's headquarters in Beirut's Mar Mikhael area.

“The actions undertaken by the contract workers are outrageous,” the company's Director General Kamal al-Hayek told reporters gathered outside the building.

Hizbullah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards are cooperating in the training process of Iraqi Shiite volunteers, who are waging a war against the Islamic State in their country.

The Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported on Thursday that Hizbullah is conveying its expertise to the Iraqi fighters to combat IS.

Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel is reportedly insisting on becoming the March 14 alliance's candidate for the presidency if the camp was able to agree with the rest of the country's factions on a compromise figure.

Gemayel wants to replace Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, a March 14 alliance source told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper in remarks published on Thursday.