Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel vowed on Thursday to hold accountable all corrupt Internal Security Forces members, warning both corruption and sectarian divisions would lead to the collapse of the state.

“Corruption will be fought only through accountability,” Charbel told reporters during a ceremony to hand over the ISF acting chief's post to Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous.

The Army command criticized on Thursday “fabricated” videos of gunmen allegedly fighting alongside troops in the southern city Sidon, vowing to take judicial action.

“At a time that the Lebanese army was fighting a fierce battle against an armed group that was spreading sedition and meddling with the country's security... A cheap political and media campaign was targeting it,” a communique issued by the army said.

The British Foreign Ministry issued on Thursday a travel advice, warning its nationals from heading to several areas in the country that witnessed unrest, and saying the situation could deteriorate 'quickly.”

The areas include the northern city of Tripoli, the southern city of Sidon, the eastern town of Arsal, Palestinian refugee camps across the country, Hermel, Baalbek, south of Litani river and Beirut's southern suburbs.

Hizbullah vacated several apartments in the area of Abra in the southern city of Sidon, handing them over to the Lebanese army, three days after gunbattles turned the city into a battle zone.

The apartments, which lie meters from the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque compound in which Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir was a preacher, were one of the main reason for the fierce campaign launched by him against Hizbullah.

The pastor of Saint Paul's Cathedral in Harissa, Naim Khouriyeh, revealed on Thursday that a priest had received a text message warning that the cathedral will be bombed.

Khouriyeh told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that investigations carried out by security forces showed that the threat was a hoax.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Refugees Anne Richard is scheduled on Thursday to discuss with several Lebanese officials U.S. assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Richard, who arrived in Beirut on Wednesday night from Jordan, said last week that Syria's neighbors are "tremendously generous ... but we need more countries to donate."

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam has revealed that his cabinet formation efforts haven't yet made progress as reportedly an envoy of Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat returned from Saudi Arabia empty handed.

Salam told several local dailies published Thursday that strong efforts were being exerted in the cabinet formation process despite the lack of a solution so far.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun totally rejected attempts to extend the tenure army chief General Jean Qahwaji, vowing to challenge it before the Constitutional Council.

Aoun accused in an interview on Thursday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri of exploiting the recent two-day battle in the southern city of Sidon to push forward the extension of Qahwaji's term, considering it “illegal.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati welcomed on Thursday Speaker Nabih Berri's call for a parliamentary session during the first week of July as long as it focuses on the importance of extending the mandate of security leaders.

“I am at the forefront of those who welcomed holding the session if its priority is to discuss the extension of security leaders' terms, in particular, Army Chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji,” Miqati said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

Lebanese men from al-Tufayli family kidnapped eight Syrians in retaliation for the capture of their next of kin in the eastern city of Baalbek, they claimed in a statement released late Wednesday.

“After Faisal Haidar al-Maarrawi from the Syrian town of al-Maarra and his brother Rifaat along with their gang kidnapped our son Mohammed Medhat al-Tufayli, several young men from the family abducted eight Haidar members,” said the statement.