United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano hailed on Thursday the cooperation between the peace keeping forces and the Lebanese army, stressing that the security situation in the south is stable.

“I have hailed the close cooperation between the UNIFIL forces, the Lebanese army and its intelligence forces which would very much help us in solving the problems that could endanger security and calm in the South,” said Portolano after a meeting with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Thursday that the time has come to restore political activity in Lebanon, urging the political forces to agree on facilitating the cabinet's work in wait for the “big political settlement that begins with electing a president.”

“It is about time to end the current chaos and to restore the political activity by activating the work of the constitutional institutions,” said Salam at the opening of the Annual Arab Banking Conference.

The Army Intelligence arrested on Wednesday more than 20 individuals in raids on encampments and residents of Syrian refugees in the eastern city of Baalbek, the state-run National News Agency said.

The army raided encampments and residences of Syrian refugees in the towns of Hosh al-Arab and Hosh Sneid and confiscated several motorbikes, NNA added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday that his country will do all it can to prevent terrorism from fanning out to Lebanon, the National News Agency said.

“Russia will do everything it can to prevent terrorism from spreading to Lebanon,” said Lavrov prior to a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Jebran Bassil in Moscow.

The army arrested several Syrian nationals in raids on the border town of Wadi Khaled and the northern district of Minieh, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The army carried out raids on the Bqayaa neighborhood in Wadi Khaled and some residential compounds of Syrians where it arrested several, NNA added.

Speaker Nabih Berri has called on the Parliament Bureau on Wednesday to form the committee charged with drafting a new electoral law within a two-month period, the March 14 alliance was informed according to al Joumhouria daily on Tuesday.

The committee will be charged with drafting the law and to find common factors within the existing laws within a two-month period.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stated on Sunday that the Internal Security Forces Information Branch was able to arrest within 48 hours the whole network that was responsible for the Bourj al-Barajneh blast.

“The Information Branch recorded an exceptional achievement and was able to arrest within 48 hours the entire network that stood behind the Bourj al-Barajneh bombings. The Security Forces are doing well in light of the political disputes,” said Mashnouq in a press conference.

Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged Lebanese factions on Sunday to get rid of the obstacles hampering the election of a president, as he extended condolences over the victims of the Bourj al-Barajneh and Paris bombings that left several dead, the National News Agency said.

“We urge the Christian political forces to seek to remove all the hurdles hampering the election of a president, and to facilitate the process as fast as possible and to agree with the allying political factions on a new electoral law,” said Rahi during the Sunday mass in Bkirki.

Two Individuals were injured overnight in an armed dispute in Tripoli's al-Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp, the state-run National News Agency said on Sunday.

The conflict, that erupted between a man from the al-Shams family and another from the Abou Arab family, inside the camp quickly developed into a shooting that injured both men.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stated on Sunday that he is eager for a solution that meets the will of the Lebanese in a bid to end the vacuum at the top state post.

“We are eagerly waiting for a course that meets the will of the majority of the Lebanese in order to find a solution for the presidential vacuum,” said Hariri via twitter.