The Cabinet convened at the Grand Serail on Monday to resume austere budget discussions marred by labor street protests and open-ended strike announced by state employees of the Banque du Liban that is threatening to paralyze the country’s banking sector.

The Israeli forces have resumed the construction and expansion of the military road leading to Hunin military site by lifting earth mounds with bulldozers, the state-run National News Agency reported on Monday.

In light of wide labor strikes protesting the government's reported plans to introduce salary cuts as part of austerity measures, Speaker Nabih Berri warned about any further delay in approving the country’s 2019 state budget, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Intensive contacts are underway to end an open ended strike launched by the syndicate of Banque du Liban employees in a bid to “avoid the repercussions of the strike on the overall banking transactions,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

According to sources quoted by the daily, President Michel Aoun has “encouraged the ongoing efforts in this direction to ensure the resumption of normal movement in the exchange market, the clearing room,where transactions are settled between banks, to prevent a reduction in the circulation volume of Lebanese and foreign currencies in the market,” they said.

Speaker Nabih Berri met Sunday afternoon with officials from Hizbullah and the Progressive Socialist Party in an attempt to mend ties between the parties.

Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned Sunday that the world wants to "weaken and subjugate" Lebanon through the economy.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil kicked a visit to the district of Jbeil on Saturday and said during a meeting with industrialists that Lebanon is unable to protect its economy because of “political subordination to the outside.”

The syndicate of Banque du Liban employees on Saturday announced an open-ended strike in protest at the government’s possible plans to reduce their salaries and benefits as part of austerity measures to cut the budget deficit.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed the international community’s demand to “disarm” Hizbullah and “halt” its military operations in Syria.

The Lebanese-Egyptian talks were concluded by the signing of three memoranda of understanding, and an executive program to enhance trade and investment relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s press office said.