The March 8 alliance and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat completely reject any bargain in the case of the abducted Lebanese security personnel, As Safir newspaper reported on Wednesday.

“No agreement (with gunmen) will be made,” sources close to the March 8 coalition told the newspaper, warning of the risks posed by such a demeanor.

Speaker Nabih Berri has suspended efforts he was exerting with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to resolve the presidential deadlock after the March 14 alliance announced a new initiative.

Berri told several officials who visited him on Tuesday that he and Jumblat were severely criticized when the PSP chief said he was in contact with the speaker and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to convince the rival parties to swiftly elect a new president.

The Muslim Scholars Committee on Tuesday strongly condemned the beheading of army sergeant Ali al-Sayyed at the hands of Syria-based extremist groups, stressing that it will not hesitate to contribute to any effort aimed at freeing the abducted troops and resuming the “currently suspended” negotiations.

In the evening, Akkar MP Khaled Zahraman said DNA testing has verified that the body handed over to the army on Monday is that of al-Sayyed.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc said Tuesday that an initiative announced earlier in the day by the March 14 camp can “pave the way to reaching an agreement over the new president,” calling on the government to take whatever measures it sees “appropriate” to liberate the troops who were abducted during Arsal's clashes.

March 14's initiative “paves the way to reaching an agreement over the new president, crossing this important national juncture and steering Lebanon to the safety shore,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The Lebanese Customs Administration on Tuesday announced confiscating around 200,000 Captagon pills that had been meant for distribution in the local market.

Customs Director General Shafiq Merhi said the administration's unit specialized in combating drugs and money laundering managed to seize the huge quantity in a “landmark” operation.

The Change and Reform bloc rejected on Tuesday the proposal made by the March 14 alliance over ending the deadlock over the presidency, saying that it “offers nothing new.”

Former Minister Salim Jreissati said after the bloc's weekly meeting: “The initiative is meaningless and is aimed at wasting time.”

Two Syrians were arrested in the South on Tuesday for the possession of paraphernalia associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, reported the National News Agency.

It said that the army intelligence arrested Amer and Mustafa al-Sahou in the Nmeiriyeh town of al-Nabatiyeh region.

The March 14 alliance on Tuesday kept its support for Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea but said it was ready to agree on another consensual candidate for the presidential elections.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora announced the initiative along with LF lawmaker George Adwan during a press conference they held at the parliament.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed on Tuesday during a speedy cabinet session that the security developments in Lebanon is being thoroughly followed.

“The security situation in the country is being followed and it will be discussed on Thursday,” Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said after the government session.

Eighteen Syrians, who were kidnapped by the relatives of Lebanese soldiers and policemen taken hostage by jihadists, have escaped, the state-run National News Agency reported Tuesday.

NNA said the relatives of the captives abducted the Syrians in Shmestar in Baalbek.