The families of Arsal captives said Monday that they received assurance on the cabinet's readiness to discuss all demands set by the Islamist gunmen to ensure the safe release of their loved ones.

The relatives stressed that al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri promised to follow up the case with the concerned officials, pointing out that he pledged not to neglect the case.

Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel considered on Monday the ongoing presidential vacuum unacceptable, calling on rivals to prioritize the election of a new head of state.

“We are surprised by all the measures taken... which aim at ridiculing the presidential vacuum,” Gemayel said after talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki.

Head of the parliamentary energy committee MP Mohammed Qabbani stressed that the delay in exploring Lebanon's offshore gas and oil exploration is due to technical obstacles and other unannounced interests as officials are at loggerheads over the demarcation of the 10 maritime oil exploration blocks.

“We have agreed to open the tenders for three blocks as a first step, but the main obstacles impeding the process remains the adoption of the petroleum decrees,” Qabbani said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper on Monday.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri is backing the formation of a civil state over his rejection of extremism, al-Mustaqbal officials said.

The officials told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Monday that Hariri brought up the issue during his meetings with al-Mustaqbal's politburo and the movement's bloc.

The Lebanese state has accomplished most of the contracts under a $1 billion aid by Saudi Arabia as a batch of the arms is expected to be handed over “soon” to security agencies.

A prominent security source stressed in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Monday that the Lebanese military finalized all the deals linked to its $500 million as a batch of light arms is “on its way” to be delivered.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea has said that he wants to reach a “deep and effective” understanding with his rival Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.

“Dialogue would resolve a lot of problems, including the presidency … but things need time,” Geagea said on Monday about his upcoming talks with Aoun.

An obscure group called “Khorasan” is allegedly plotting to assassinate lawmakers affiliated to al-Mustaqbal Movement in an attempt to topple the dialogue between the party and Hizbullah.

According to As Safir newspaper published on Monday, security sources obtained information warning that Mustaqbal MPs will be targeted with attacks to hit the dialogue between the party and Hizbullah and to create a sectarian strife between Shiites and Sunnis in Lebanon.

Iran is seeking to open a "third front" against Israel using Hizbullah fighters on the Syrian Golan Heights, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Netanyahu said Tehran's alleged attempts to entrench itself along Israel's borders was one of the biggest emerging security threats facing Tel Aviv.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized on Sunday the performance of the cabinet, stressing that the government should not carry its tasks presuming that the presidential vacuum is a “normal” crisis.

“The cabinet has no authority to carry out the jurisdiction of the head of state unless it was exercised according to consensus and without the creation of mechanism that violates the constitution,” al-Rahi said during a sermon at Bkirki.

Hizbullah has reportedly supervised and funded fighters planning to target U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab of Emirates and Jordan.

Sources told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday that there is new evidence proving Iran's involvement with al-Qaida and Nusra Front after Tehran embraced a number of fighters scheming to attack U.S. interests in Riyadh, Dubai and Amman.