The army carried out several raids on Thursday in Lebanon's northeastern border towns and the Bekaa Valley as the body of a Syrian refugee linked to one of the terrorist organizations was found on the outskirts of Arsal.

The state-run National News Agency reported that the body of Syrian refugee Mohammed Seifeddine was found in Arsal's Jouban area.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has urged the international community to recognize the Armenian genocide, expressing fears of further such atrocities against Christians in the world.

Al-Rahi, who is in Armenia to attend the ceremony to mark the centenary of the World War I killings by Ottoman Turks, was quoted by the National News Agency as saying on Thursday that “the international community and people with goodwill should recognize the genocide.”

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that the main objective of his visit to the United States is to safeguard Lebanon from the regional repercussions, urging for a quick solution for the Syrian crisis and the burden of refugees flocking into Lebanon.

“The objective of my visit to the United States is related to protecting Lebanon from the regional crises and their repercussions,” said Hariri after meeting members of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives led by State Senator Ed Royce.

Head of the syndicate of private schools teachers in Lebanon Nehme Mahfoud warned on Thursday that the Syndicate Coordination Committee will paralyze the academic year if politicians didn't wrap up the crisis of the new wage scale soon.

He stressed during a protest held in Beirut's Riad al-Solh square and in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that after a four-year suffering, the SCC will not back down on its demands.

Speaker Nabih Berri is exerting efforts to convince the rival parliamentary blocs to attend an upcoming parliamentary session that mainly Christian lawmakers oppose amid the absence of a head of state.

The agenda of the session was distributed to lawmakers, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday.

Speaker Nabih Berri has canceled the meeting of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) that was set to be held in Beirut end of April after he was informed by Saudi Arabia that it would not attend the talks, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Berri informed Arab parliaments that “the conference has been canceled for non-Lebanese reasons,” said al-Joumhouria.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday kicked off a visit to Washington, where he announced that his political camp is trying to spare Lebanon any repercussions from the “drastic disputes” with Hizbullah.

“We must exert efforts to end the rift and elect a president for Lebanon,” said Hariri after talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the U.S. capital.

Arrest warrants were issued on Wednesday against detainees Bilal and Omar Miqati for belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorist group, reported the National News Agency.

It said that Military Tribunal Judge Imad al-Zein issued the warrants after interrogating them over their terrorist links.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri stressed on Wednesday that his country's decision to boost the capabilities of the Lebanese army is to protect the country's legitimate institutions and safeguard its independence and stability.

“The grant comes in light of the enormous challenges confronting the Lebanese army,” Asiri said in an interview with the news channel France 24 , describing the decision of Saudi Arabia as “wise.”

The presidential elections were postponed once again after parliament failed for the 22nd time to meet the required quorum to hold the polls.

Speaker Nabih Berri postponed the elections to May 13.