Russia is likely to give Lebanon a helping hand in finding a new parliamentary electoral law format acceptable by all political parties, to save the country from “sliding into a political crisis,” al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday.

“Moscow will possibility make a move to help (Lebanon) find a format for a new electoral law acceptable by all forces, to avoid potentials of a political crisis that could open the door on an exposed security situation in Lebanon,” sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

France's far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on Monday met for the first time with a foreign head of state, holding talks in Beirut with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun.

Lebanese Forces Information Minister Melhem Riachi emphasized on Saturday that contacts with Hizbullah are merely limited to the party's ministers and lawmakers, the state-run National News Agency reported.

“We do not negotiate with Hizbullah. There are some contacts limited to Hizbullah ministers and deputies,” said Riachi during a visit to the eastern city of Zahle where LF MP Toni Abi Khater received him at his residence in the presence of a number of LF lawmakers.

Economy Minister Raed Khoury stressed the need to separate the longtime wage scale file from the state's annual budget over concerns that it would remain pending if the cabinet discussions stuttered.

“The wage scale must be separated from the annual budget over fears that discussions would remain pending in the cabinet,” Khoury told VDL (93.3).

Two Syrian nationals were robbed at gunpoint on an inland road in Akkar north of Lebanon, the State-run National News Agency reported on Saturday.

A group of unidentified gunmen, riding a brown Mercedes, robbed Adnan al-Sadbbashi and Mohammed Moustafa on a village road in Akkar at around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, said NNA.

Hizbullah's media office issued a statement on Saturday stressing that the party does not make statements to the press under the so-called “Hizbullah sources” and has therefore denied reports published by Reuters in that regard.

“Hizbullah's media office reminds that the familiar media policy we follow never uses the so-called 'Hizbullah sources' in our statements, and we do not use 'sources close to Hizbullah,'” the party's media office said in a statement.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq will adhere to the current applicable electoral laws and is set to order the start of preparations for Lebanon's parliamentary polls where he will be sending a decree to the Presidential Palace in the coming 48 hours, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

According to information, the decree will not be signed by President Michel Aoun because it is linked to the current 1960 majoritarian law which the President has rejected having the elections staged on its basis.

British Interior Minister, Amber Rudd stressed Lebanon's need to stage the parliamentary elections on time, on the basis of an electoral law that meets approval of all Lebanese parties, the National News Agency reported on Friday.

“It is encouraging to conduct the parliamentary elections this year in Lebanon. We hope the efforts succeed at finding a new electoral law acceptable to all sides,” Rudd said in a message to her Lebanese counterpart Nouhad al-Mashnouq.

A bomb threat on Friday on a Greece-bound airplane that flew from the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut and landed in Athens Airport turned out to be fake alarm.

An anonymous call was made earlier on Friday giving Athens airport's air traffic control tower a false alarm about a bomb planted aboard a plane belonging to Middle East Airlines (MEA), the National News Agency reported.

State Minister for Combating Corruption Nicolas Tueni said on Friday that the approval of the longtime thorny wage scale for the public sector would be an achievement for the new term of President Michel Aoun, but stressed that its ratification is linked to finding the needed revenues to cover its expenses.

“Endorsing the wage scale is an achievement for (President's) mandate and for Lebanon, but the matter is linked to finding the revenues to cover it. It is being discussed in cabinet,” Tueni told VDL (93.3).