The trial of former Minister Michel Samaha has been postponed to May 2014 after authorities failed once again to summon Syrian security chief General Ali Mamlouk, reported LBCI television on Tuesday.

It revealed that the trial was postponed to May 30, 2014.

The Lebanese army on Tuesday carried out raids in Tripoli, a day after the country's top leaders authorized the military to take charge of security in Lebanon's second-largest city for six months.

Monday's decision was taken at a meeting between President Michel Suleiman, army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that Hizbullah revealed its true colors and is acting according to its own will, pointing out that the cabinet must be swiftly formed to end the paralysis in the country.

“Hizbullah has set its strategy and is bluntly contradicting the laws and constitution,” Geagea said via Skype during the LF annual convention in Melbourne, Australia.

Lebanon was ranked in 127th place in a survey carried by graft watchdog Transparency International on corruption in the public sector in 177 countries.

TI collates expert views on the problem from bodies such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, Economist Intelligence Unit, Bertelsmann Foundation, Freedom House and other groups.

Former MP Mikhail al-Daher proposed a new electoral that combines winner-takes-all system with the Orthodox Gathering law, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, the suggestion is based on adopting the Orthodox Gathering proposal in the mixed provinces and the winner-takes-all in the remaining provinces.

International aid agency Oxfam on Tuesday launched a "12 Days of Giving" appeal to help destitute Syrian refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon survive the region's harsh winter months.

"Oxfam will be doing the best they can by delivering winter kits to help many of the poorest families," said British actress Michelle Dockery who last month visited refugees in Jordan who have fled their country's conflict.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee vowed on Tuesday to go on strike if the Finance and Budget Parliamentary Committee, which is headed by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, failed to refer to the parliament the decree aimed at increasing the salaries of public sector employees.

Kanaan said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper that the committee discussed on Monday the decree, which still needs a final drafting that would be wrapped up in the upcoming two days.

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has appealed for a reconciliation conference in the northern city of Tripoli to resolve the ongoing violence that has threatened to spiral out of control.

Al-Joumhouria quoted Charbel as saying on Tuesday that such a conference should bring together Tripoli's politicians, including lawmakers and ministers, and party leaders.

Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati denied that the northern city of Tripoli had become a military zone, saying the army will only take charge of security in it for six months to end the bloody clashes.

Announcing Tripoli a military zone “hasn't been under discussion from the beginning,” Miqati told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora assured on Monday that his party holds “identical” views with the Maronite Patriarch regarding Lebanon's role in the ongoing regional turmoil.

"Our views, as usual, were identical to those of Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi regarding the commitment to the Baabda Declaration and disassociating Lebanon from regional and international conflicts and especially from the Syrian crisis” Saniora said after holding talks, along with an al-Mustaqbal delegation, with the Patriarch in Bkirki.