The Internal Security Forces have seized boxes of sweets containing drugs ready to be smuggled abroad, the ISF general command said Tuesday.

The communique said that judicial police raided on Monday a house in the area of Minieh in the North after receiving information about a drug smuggling operation.

Civil servants and teachers upped on Tuesday their pressure on lawmakers as they held a nationwide strike and a protest in Beirut to demand the approval of the new wage scale.

Public schools and the majority of private schools were shut to abide by the call of the Syndicate Coordination Committee to hold a strike.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will travel to the Holly Land next month along with the delegation accompanying Pope Francis, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Bishop Boulos Sayyah, who will be accompanying al-Rahi in his trip, told the newspaper that the Patriarch will be within the delegation traveling with the Pontiff.

Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he would discuss with the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra, alleged Israeli violations of the U.N.-drawn Blue Line in the South.

Israel suddenly claimed that the Blue Line passes in the middle of Wazzani river and that the owners of resorts there can't clean part of the river, Berri told As Safir daily in remarks published on Tuesday.

Palestinian officials in Lebanon agreed to set a security plan to maintain stability in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon similar to that implemented in the northern city of Tripoli and the Bekaa valley by the Lebanese security forces.

Sobhi Abou Arab, the head of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon will head on Tuesday a meeting to place a first vision of the security plan.

The Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc will attend Wednesday's parliamentary session to elect a president.

Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat stressed after a meeting for the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc in Clemenceau that it will be present at all sessions to elect a new head of state.

The army on Monday arrested a Syrian rebel commander in the border town of Arsal, which is witnessing along with other Bekaa towns an unprecedented security plan.

“The Lebanese Army has arrested a Syrian group in Arsal,” LBCI television reported.

New arrest warrants were issued on Monday against Arab Democratic Party leader Ali Eid, his son Rifaat and others over their involvement in the 18th round of fighting in the northern city of Tripoli.

"First military examining magistrate Judge Nabil Wehbe issued a third in absentia arrest warrant against the party's political relations official Rifaat Eid,” MTV reported.

The Kataeb Party stressed on Monday the need for all lawmakers to achieve the quorum of Wednesday's parliamentary session to elect a president.

It said in a statement after its weekly politburo meeting: “The party will take part in the second round of the elections and all other subsequent ones.”

The Syndicate Coordination Committee warned on Monday of a “strong reaction” if the new wage scale was implemented in installments or not according to its conditions, as joint parliamentary committees are racing to finish studying the draft this week.

The SCC also announced a general strike on Tuesday in all public administrations, as well as in public and private educational institutions.