Sheikh Mustafa al-Hujeiri, an intermediary in the case of Lebanese hostages, has denied that he carried with him new demands from jihadists upon his return from the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Al-Hujeiri returned from the mountainous area on Sunday after he met with the militants from al-Nusra Front who along with fighters from the Islamic State extremist group took Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage in August last year.

Speaker Nabih Berri has expected the cabinet to resume its sessions this week with the same controversial decision-making mechanism which he and Prime Minister Tammam Salam reject.

Berri told his visitors over the weekend that Salam could call for a session this week despite his failure to convince the rival ministers from amending the mechanism to activate the government's work.

The army opened artillery fire Sunday evening after detecting movements by militant groups in the outskirts of the Bekaa border towns of Arsal and al-Qaa.

“The Lebanese army fired artillery at movements by the armed groups in the Wadi Rafeq area in al-Qaa's outskirts,” LBCI television reported.

The Free Patriotic Movement has announced that a much-anticipated meeting between FPM chief MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will be held when the two parties decide to start discussing the presidential crisis in their ongoing dialogue.

“Dialogue with the LF has reached a political agreement through the document of principles and any coming session between the two parties will be limited to the issue of presidency,” MP Alain Aoun of the FPM announced in an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper to be published Monday.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lamented on Sunday the failure to elect a new president, blaming officials for the delay.

He said during his Sunday sermon at Bkirki: “The officials are depleting the capabilities of the state through failing to stage the polls.”

Lebanon will be committed to United Nations Security Council resolution 2199 regarding the freezing of funding of the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front and other al-Qaida-related extremist groups, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.

Diplomatic sources said that Lebanon is concerned with such a decision “even though it is not a main source of funding of the terrorist groups included in the resolution.”

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stated that he is still continuing consultations with various political parties to reach an agreement over a new government mechanism, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

He told the daily: “I am committed to the constitution and will not abandon it.”

The Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah are scheduled to hold on Monday the eighth round of their dialogue that was kicked off between them in December, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

Speaker Nabih Berri's sources told the daily that the talks will focus on the presidential elections “and how to help facilitate consensus over it in a manner that would fortify constitutional institutions.”

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq revealed that he had ordered security agencies to facilitate the entry of Assyrian refugees from Syria, who are fleeing the persecution of Islamic State group extremists, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal Sunday.

He told the daily that he had taken the decision following consultations with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Rashid Derbas.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea stressed the necessity to unite Arab and International efforts to strictly combat extremism and terrorism and all its organizations.

Geagea also underlined, in a statement issued by his press office on Saturday, the necessity to refine the prevailing image of Islam and reveal its true noble nature.