The Syrian gunmen attacks on army troops in eastern Lebanon on Saturday drew strong condemnation from several local leaders who announced full solidarity with the military institution.

Former President Michel Suleiman, ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and Premier Tammam Salam contacted army chief General Jean Qahwaji, voicing full support for troops' efforts in "eradicating terrorism."

Tension soared Saturday afternoon in the eastern border town of Arsal when masked Syrian gunmen infiltrated Lebanon after news circulated about the arrest of al-Nusra Front official, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The infiltrators surrounded army checkpoints and targeted military posts with gunfire, while other stormed an Internal Security Forces post in the Bekaa region.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah held talks on Saturday with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, and both men discussed the situation in the country and the region.

Nasrallah and Franjieh gave special attention to the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and underscored the “exodus of Christians and the killing of Muslims" in the Iraq's Mosul, a statement published on Marada's official website revealed.

The Foreign Ministry assured on Saturday that it is following up on the situation of the Lebanese expats in Libya, where deadly clashes are currently taking place between rival militias.

"We are following up with concern on the situation of the Lebanese community in Libya and we have contacted concerned authorities there and in neighboring countries, especially in Tunisia,” a statement issued by the foreign ministry said.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Saturday called on the Higher Islamic Council to elect a new Grand Mufti on August 10, a decision that received the blessing of Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani.

According to Article 2 of Salam's decree, the elections will take place with the participation of two-thirds of the Council's members in the first round of voting.

Syrian troops backed by Hizbullah fighters have killed at least 50 jihadists from the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front groups near the border with Lebanon, a monitor said Saturday.

The clashes raged through the night and into the morning on Saturday in the border region of Qalamun, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat called on Saturday on the Arab countries to kick off a dialogue with foreign states to confront terrorism.

“Saudi Arabia should lead a dialogue with Iran and Turkey in order to fight terrorism that is committing crimes in the name of Islam, displacing Christians from the Iraqi state of Mosul and destroying the Arab and Islam diversity,” Jumblat told al-Mustaqbal newspaper.

The political arch-foes remained at loggerheads on Saturday over the new pay hike for public employees despite the intensive efforts to end the impasse with the Syndicate Coordination Committee that insists on boycotting the correction of official exams.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab reiterated in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper that he rejects attempts by the SCC to control the future of students.

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said on Saturday that the Lebanese state didn't take any “extraordinary measures” regarding the influx of Christians from the Iraqi city of Mosul as a the Patriarchs of the Orient are set to hold a conference in Lebanon on August 7.

“The state didn't take any extraordinary measures regarding the flow of Iraqi Christians to Lebanon as it considers that their conditions are not similar to the Syrian refugees,” Derbas said in comments published in the the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

The Lebanese Army Intelligence apprehended seven Syrian nationals while trying to infiltrate illegally into Lebanese territories by evading checkpoints.

According to the Central News Agency, the seven Syrians were trying to enter the southern border town of Shebaa illegally by dodging army checkpoints that are distributed in nearby areas.