The negotiations on the release of the policemen and soldiers kidnapped by Islamist gunmen in August are still in their early phase in light of the recent demands made by the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Thursday.

An official source said that the negotiations are “positive, but no guarantees on their release are available.”

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil reiterated the Change and Reform bloc's rejection of the extension of the term of parliament, warning that such a measure will only increase political tensions, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday.

He told the daily: “The extension will lead to more political instability.”

Unknown assailants opened fire at dawn at an army adjutant in the northeastern border town of Arsal, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

The NNA reported that two unknown assailants riding a red motorcycle opened fire in the town's al-Jamarek Square at adjutant Ahmed Awdeh while he was heading to his work.

The army on Wednesday arrested a number of suspects in the northern district of Dinniyeh, the southern city of Sidon and the Bekaa towns of Taanayel and Brital.

France will begin shipping arms to the Lebanese army in the first quarter of next year, a defense ministry source in Paris said Wednesday, as part of a $3-billion deal financed by Saudi Arabia.

The shipment will consist of combat and transport helicopters, armored vehicles, anti-tank missiles and heavy artillery, the source added.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea launched a scathing attack on Wednesday against the Change and Reform bloc led by MP Michel Aoun, accusing it of seeking to “change the political system” and noting that the LF voted for extending the parliament's term in order to prevent the fall of the state.

“It has become obvious that the aim of the Change and Reform bloc is toppling all state institutions as a prelude to changing the entire political system through a constituent assembly,” Geagea said at a press conference in Maarab, hours after the parliament voted to extend its own term for another 27 months.

Supporters of a pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant, Georges Ibrahim Abdallah who has spent 30 years in French jail, were informed on Wednesday of a French court's decision on rejecting the ninth demand of his conditioned release.

They were notified at 3:45 pm during their sit-in in front of the French Embassy in Lebanon.

Lawmakers extended on Wednesday the mandate of the parliament until June 2017 amid a boycott by Christian MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement and the representatives of the Kataeb Party in the legislature.

FPM lawmakers from the Change and Reform bloc resorted to boycott while Marada Movement and Tashnag Party representatives in the bloc attended the session. But members of Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh's bloc voted for the extension as Tashnag's two lawmakers voted against it.

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel has reiterated that the most important form of legislation is parliament's election of a new head of state, blaming the presidential vacuum for the extension of the lawmakers' mandate.

“The first necessary legislation lies in the election of a president,” Gemayel said during a visit to Paris.

When Islamic State militants retreated from the embattled town of Jurf al-Sakher last week, the Iraqi military was quick to flaunt a rare victory against the extremist group, with state television showing tanks and Humvees parading through the town and soldiers touring government buildings that had been occupied by the militants since August.

However, photos soon emerged on independent Iraqi news websites revealing a more discrete presence — the powerful Iranian general Ghasem Soleimani — whose name has become synonymous with the handful of victories attributed to Iraqi ground forces. Local commanders said Hizbullah was also on the front lines.