U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale rejected on Wednesday attacks on the Lebanese Armed Forces, noting that targeting the military institution reaffirms the importance of the state's institutions in upholding order and stability in Lebanon.

Hale's statement comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up on Saturday evening at an army checkpoint in the northeastern town of Arsal, killing three troops and wounding several others.

Several rockets landed on Wednesday on residential neighborhoods of the eastern town of al-Labweh, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA did not specify the source of the assault and did not say whether the attack caused material damage or casualties.

The March 14 General Secretariat hailed on Wednesday the implementation of the security plan in Tripoli, hoping that it will put an end to the suffering in the northern city.

It hoped after its weekly meeting that the army and security forces will arrest all the wanted suspects, regardless of their affiliations, especially those behind the twin bombings of the Tawqa and al-Salam Mosques in August 2013.

The Council of Maronite Bishops urged the parliament on Wednesday to choose a “strong and capable” president who would seek to protect Lebanon's sovereignty.

The council issued a statement following its monthly meeting chaired by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki, saying “political parties and mainly MPs should carry out their duties and choose a strong and capable president” before the Constitutional deadline expires.

President Michel Suleiman called on Wednesday for the election of a strong head of state, who pledges full loyalty to Lebanon.

“The new president should be strong, not weak… and consensual if possible or should belong to a certain political camp and be fully loyal to Lebanon,” Suleiman said during a ceremony at Baabda Palace.

A draft-law regarding the working status of Electricite du Liban contract workers was endorsed by the parliament on Wednesday with some modifications.

“The speaker and MPs agree on the suggestions demanded by the contract workers,” AMAL MP Ali Bazzi said from the parliament after the draft-law was adopted.

A U.S. diplomat urged on Wednesday the Lebanese government to swiftly complete the necessary measures to kick off gas and oil exploration, denying that Israel is seeking to take Lebanon's share of its offshore natural resources.

“The Lebanese state should work swiftly to follow the other eastern Mediterranean countries,” U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Diplomacy Amos Hochstein said in an interview with As Safir newspaper.

The Syndicate Coordination Committee staged a general strike on Wednesday at public institutions, ministries, and public and private schools in protest against the failure to refer the new wage scale to parliament for approval as Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh questioned the feasibility of funding the scale through new taxes.

Salameh asked: “The proposed taxes encompass four percent of the gross domestic product. Given the current circumstances, can the state realistically reap an additional four percent?”

A delegation from the Vatican has been holding talks with Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Maronite political leaders in an attempt to bring to the helm of Baabda Palace the strongest and most popular Christian politician, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The daily said that the delegation, which has been sent to Lebanon by Pope Francis, is moving back and forth between the papal embassy in Harissa, the seat of the Maronite church in Bkirki and the residences of the Maronite political leaders.

The Internal Security Forces on Tuesday seized four new stolen cars in several areas of the Bekaa border town of Arsal, including Wadi Hmayyed.

“The Arsal police department managed to seize three stolen cars: a gray Mercedes ML in an alleyway in the town, a black Range Rover Vogue near a Syrian refugee camp and a black Ford carrying a fake license plate near the amusement park in Wadi Hmayyed,” the ISF's public relations department said in a statement.