Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is keen to hold the parliamentary elections and avoid the extension of parliament's tenure for a second time, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday.

It said that he strongly advocates holding the polls for “constitutional reasons,” adding that he has started his consultations with March 14 camp parties, namely the Mustaqbal Movement, to that end.

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun is expected to launch an initiative next week on the presidential elections, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

Change and Reform bloc MP Naji Garious revealed to the daily that Aoun will announce the initiative during a press conference on Monday.

Security agencies have intensified their efforts to control Lebanon's land, air, and maritime borders given the recent bombings in the country and infiltration of terrorists, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

The measures include setting up modern surveillance towers to monitor the illegal land crossings.

Shiite organizations and charities have taken the decision to cancel over security fears the daily iftars that they used to hold throughout the holy month of Ramadan, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

The decision was also part of judicial rulings that call for canceling gatherings, regardless of the occasion, it added.

The Vatican plans to dispatch a delegation to Lebanon in a bid to prompt Lebanese officials into ending the presidential vacuum, amid reports that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi also plans a trip to several major countries to up pressures to elect a president.

The Vatican plans to send a delegation to Beirut next week, conveying Pope Francis' concern “on hurdles delaying the presidential elections in light of the inflamed situation in the region,” al-Liwaa daily reported on Saturday.

Former Prime Minister Rashid al-Solh passed away on Friday evening.

Al-Solh, 88 at the time of his death, started his political career in 1964 when he was elected as a Beirut MP to parliament.

One person was killed and two others were wounded Friday in an armed clash involving Syrian and Lebanese citizens in the Bekaa border town of Arsal.

“A Syrian gunman was killed and two members of the al-Hujairi and Ezzeddine families were hurt in a clash with machineguns between Lebanese and Syrian citizens in Arsal,” state-run National News Agency reported.

One of the most wanted drug dealers was arrested on Friday evening in the southern city of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency reported.

"A force from the Anti-Drug Bureau in the South managed to arrest one of the most wanted outlaws accused of promoting and dealing with drugs,” the NNA said.

Two people were injured on Friday evening in Beirut's southern suburb of al-Laylaki in a dispute that erupted into firing gunshots at Lebanese Army troops.

"Two people from the Zoaiter family were wounded near Zeineddine restaurant (in al-Laylaki) during a clash,” the state-run National News Agency reported.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani announced on Friday evening that Sunday, June 29, is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

Saudi Arabia had confirmed earlier in the day that Saturday will be the last day of the month of Shaaban on the Islamic calendar, after observers failed to sight the crescent of Ramadan.