The March 14 General Secretariat considered on Wednesday the verbal attacks against the March 14 figures who marked the coalition's 10th anniversary over the weekend as a a direct threat against them.

“The alliance's decision to establish its National Council is the result of 10 years of struggle, sacrifices and principles,” the secretariat said in a statement after its weekly meeting.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour stressed on Wednesday that he was willing to meet certain demands made by private hospitals if he saw positive moves in return, including the well treatment of the poor.

“In any confrontation between hospitals and the state, the authorities would win,” said Abou Faour following talks with the head of the association of private hospitals, Suleiman Haroun.

A meeting was held between Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan and Lebanese Forces official Melhem Riachi to discuss the “final touches” on the “declaration of intent” paper between the two parties, al-Mustaqbal newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The two officials added an 18th article to the document of principles during the meeting, which was held on Tuesday night.

The Banking Control Commission of Lebanon's tenure ended on Wednesday despite the appointment of new members by the cabinet last week.

According to al-Akhbar daily, there are several scenarios – the new five-member commission could either begin its mission when the decree of their appointments is signed by all cabinet members or when the decree is published in the Official gazette.

A meeting between Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat touched on the presidential elections, the adoption of draft-laws and the extension of the tenure of high-ranking security officials.

Local dailies described on Wednesday the visit as “positive” and comes to repay a similar visit by Jumblat to Rabieh on August 6.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing Daniel Glaser reportedly warned during a short visit to Beirut from attempts to involve Lebanese banks in money laundering operations to finance terrorism.

According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Wednesday, Glaser, who met with Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and a delegation from the Lebanese Association of Banks, said that funds to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from some Gulf countries could pass through Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

Lebanese security and judicial agencies had been busy in the past days investigating a cargo for the Syrian regime, which was dubbed as “nuclear equipment” but turned out to be office material, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The daily said that the apparatuses launched a probe when the manifest of several containers that reached Beirut Port said they included nuclear material.

Speaker Nabih Berri has said he advised al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora to disregard remarks made by officials outside Lebanon to preserve Lebanon.

Berri said in remarks published on Wednesday that he criticized Saniora on his latest speech, adding it did not fall in the interest of the dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel revealed on Wednesday a decision to extend the tenure of Army Intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Edmond Fadel, which ends on March 20, by six months.

Moqbel said that his decision comes in accordance with his jurisdictions.

Syrian and Iraqi Christians have pleaded for more international assistance from new homes in Lebanon where they recently arrived after fleeing attack by militants from the Islamic State group.

They spoke on Tuesday in two Beirut churches where they lined up to receive food baskets and other humanitarian assistance from a non-profit organization called In Defense of Christians (IDC), whose mission is to protect Christians in the Middle East.