After her mysterious death shocked the public opinion, investigations revealed Thursday that the toddler girl Celine Rakan had been murdered more than a week ago at the hands of the family's Ethiopian maid, who was caught red-handed by the child while stealing house items.

“The Ethiopian domestic worker confessed to the Msaitbeh police station that she strangled to death the child Celine Rakan out of fear that she might be busted, after the toddler saw her stealing items from the house,” the Internal Security Forces said in a statement, ending a week of speculation.

A “war of hostages” appears to have started between Hizbullah and Syrian rebels in the border region of Qalamun, with sources announcing that the Lebanese group has seized the bodies of dozens of militants and the Free Syrian Army publishing a video featuring a Hizbullah captive.

Syrian activists were on Thursday circulating the video, in which a Hizbullah fighter identified as Imad Ayyad urges his family to “meet the demands” of the FSA should they contact them.

The Akkar town of al-Rihaniyeh on Thursday held a funeral for army soldier Milad Mohammed Issa, who was shot dead at dawn at the hands of unknown gunmen.

“Amid great anger and grief that engulfed the villages and towns of the Akkar district, the Army Command, the Issa family and residents of the town of al-Rihaniyeh and Akkar organized a funeral for the soldier Milad Mohammed Issa after the noon prayers,” the National News Agency said.

Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Thursday eight people including a Lebanese with funding and belonging to a terrorist group.

The parliament failed again Thursday to elect a successor to former President Michel Suleiman, leaving the country's top Christian post vacant since May.

Speaker Nabih Berri has set a new session for October 29.

The parents of one of the soldiers taken captive by jihadists in August have allegedly received a phone call from an Islamic State militant giving the authorities a three-day ultimatum to meet their demands.

The father of captive Mohammed Youssef said he received the phone call from the IS fighter at 10:00 am Thursday.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Daryan stressed on Thursday the importance of cooperation between the Grand Serail and Dar al-Fatwa, calling on the abductors of soldiers and policemen to make an initiative and release them.

“They are precious and you should safeguard them... I am waiting for an initiative from you to release them,” Daryan said after talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil accused on Thursday Israel of “manipulating stability and using the takfiri attacks to change the balance of powers,” considering that the resistance's operation in the Shebaa Farms occurred on Lebanese soil.

“The ministerial statement states the liberation of the Shebaa Farms and the occupied Lebanese territories with all the possible means,” Bassil said in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper.

A 27-year-old Lebanese student accused of marrying and having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl in Australia has pleaded guilty to the crime, Australian dailies reported Thursday.

The man, who was not named, was visiting Australia on a student visa when he married the girl during an Islamic ceremony in the Hunter Valley in the state of New South Wales in January, they aid.

The transfer of the protest by the families of the so-called Arsal hostages from Dahr al-Baidar to downtown Beirut was deeply frowned on by the Lebanese authorities with one cabinet minister describing their move as “unacceptable.”

The minister, who was not identified, told As Safir daily in remarks published on Thursday that the protest of the relatives of the soldiers and policemen taken captive by jihadists in August is legal as long as they are not harming anyone.