The Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc will meet on Saturday to discuss the latest developments with regard to the thorny file of the presidency, and to decide for whom to vote during the upcoming election session following the endorsement of MP Michel Aoun by al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri, media reports said.

Chief of the bloc, MP Walid Jumblat called his 11 deputies for a meeting in Mukhtara to decide the bloc's path during the voting process in a parliamentary session scheduled on October 31 to elect a president.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed caution on Friday regarding the possibility of electing a new president in Lebanon in the near future, a day after ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency.

The Lebanese Army staged wide security operations in the Bekaa city of Hermel and was able to arrest a fugitive wanted on several arrest warrants, the National News Agency reported on Friday.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Qabbani said in a statement issued Friday morning that he would not vote for presidential candidate, Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, the National News Agency reported.

The Kataeb party warned of a “vertical split” and a “one-party” ruling in the country following the endorsement of MP Michel Aoun for the presidency by head of al-Mustaqbal Movement, and stressed that the majority do not support the MP for the top state post, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri is reassured about the outcome of his initiative as for nominating MP Michel Aoun for the post of president, and said its unlikely for the election session scheduled at the end of October to be postponed, An Nahar daily reported on Friday.

In side talks with the daily, Hariri said “I am reassured,” about the results of the initiative, and that he does not expect the election session on 31 of October to be postponed “unless they wanted to,” he said. He was referring to reports circulating that the session might be delayed until the tense relations between Speaker Nabih Berri and Aoun are settled, according to the daily.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri is expected to officially announce his support of the presidential nomination of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun during a televised appearance that will be held on Thursday.

The Investigative judge in Mount Lebanon issued an arrest warrant against General Security warrant officer Tony Abboud in the Ashqout crime case in the town of Keserwan, media reports said on Wednesday.

The judge issued the warrant after interrogating the culprit, the reports said.

Police said they have arrested one of the biggest drug dealers in north Lebanon, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Several theft and drug trafficking operations were reported lately in the city of Tripoli and its suburbs,” said the statement.

A legislative session was held on Wednesday to tackle several pending issues ahead of a meeting scheduled for October 31 and dedicated to electing a head of state for the vacant presidency.

After a long failure to achieve quorum and end the two and a half years vacancy, the parliamentarians attended the legislative session, except for the boycotting Kataeb party, and 21 "necessary legislation" items were on the agenda.