Abu Bakr al-Raqqawi, an official of the extremist Islamic State group, was found killed on Sunday in the restive northeastern border town of Arsal.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea warned that the failure of al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri's initiative to bring MP Michel Aoun to the post of the presidency, will open Lebanon to “horrifying” risks, as he stressed that Hariri is very serious with regard to Aoun's nomination, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Saturday.

“Hariri is serious with regard to his initiative, but he only needs time to build an understanding with Aoun and to convince his supporters to elect him after the shifting political relations between the two parties,” Geagea told the daily in an interview.

As soon as he returned from a trip to Moscow and Riyadh, al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri tasked one of his representatives to hold contacts with MP Michel Aoun to brief him on Saudi Arabia's “initial” positive position with regard to his nomination for the presidency, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

Although the Saudi stance is still indecisive, but the news was assessed as positive in Rabieh, the daily added.

Mustaqbal MP Ammar Hour denied media reports on Saturday, alleging that a “concealed agreement” has been reached between chief of the party ex-PM Saad Hariri, and MP Michel Aoun that might see the latter become president of the republic, media reports said.

“News circulating in some media outlets about a secret agreement between Hariri and Aoun are totally untrue,” said Houri.

The Vatican held the Lebanese of “different religions and political affiliations” responsible for the delay in electing a new head of state, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

The Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri who arrived in Beirut on Friday, held a meeting with Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki.

Security sources said they obtained information about some bombing schemes that have been prepared to be carried out by terror groups against convoys of American, French and Russian diplomats in Beirut, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

The sources said that “this information has been circulated to various military and security forces five days ago in order to promote all forms of surveillance.”

A son of detained Sunni Muslim cleric Sheikh Bassam Tarras was briefly arrested on Friday as supporters rallied outside Dar al-Fatwa in Beirut, Sidon and Barelias to protest the move.

The Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch released Omeir Tarras after Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan held a series of contacts with a number of officials, state-run National News Agency reported.

Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil held talks Friday with his visiting Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni and called on the world to support Lebanon to elect a “strong and legitimate” president.

At the invitation of Social Affairs Minister Rachid Derbas and as part of his regional visits throughout the country to see how UK Aid is supporting Lebanon, British Ambassador Hugo Shorter visited the northern city of Tripoli, the UK embassy said in a press release on Friday.

He called on Mufti Sheikh Malek el-Chaar and discussed the latest developments in the country.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed on Friday that there is an agreement with Bkirki on the need not to set preconditions on the future president, and uttered commitment to “safeguarding the existing communication with Bkirki,” the National News Agency reported.

“We are keen on the adoption of a new law for the parliamentary elections and on consensus among the Lebanese over this issue. We hope the coming days would carry positive signs” said the AMAL party minister.