Two Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded on Wednesday in a Hizbullah attack on a military convoy in the occupied Shebaa Farms.

The Israeli army announced that two of its troops were killed, while a spokesman said seven Israeli soldiers were “lightly-to-moderately wounded” in the attack.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil has revealed that he referred 55 employees from the Real Estate Registry to investigation over corruption allegations.

Khalil told An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday that he took a decision to stop the permits of all staff members tasked with following up transactions at the registry.

Colombia's Paulina Vega was crowned Miss Universe Sunday, beating out contenders from the United States, Ukraine, Jamaica and The Netherlands at the world's top beauty pageant in Florida.

The 22-year-old model and business student triumphed over 87 other women from around the world, and is only the second beauty queen from Colombia to take home the prize. 

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has lamented that the government was suffering over the absence of a president despite his determination to improve its productivity.

As Safir daily on Monday quoted Salam as saying that “the work of the government has been transformed into a permanent suffering that takes several forms amid the presidential vacuum.”

Security sources revealed that the Lebanese army was able to thwart the objective of Islamic State militias to set an “Islamic Emirate” on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.

“The Lebanese army's heroic confrontation with armed groups in Tallet al-Hamra in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek prevented the militants from implementing their scheme,” An Nahar daily quoted the sources on Monday.

Reports circulated Sunday in the Bekaa about a militant assault on Hizbullah's posts in Brital's outskirts turned out to be untrue, following two days of deadly clashes between the Lebanese army and extremist groups in the nearby area of Ras Baalbek.

“The takfiris have waged an armed attack on Hizbullah's posts in Ain Saa in the mountainous outskirts of Brital and Baalbek,” state-run National News Agency reported, adding that the area was witnessing “fierce clashes with rocket-propelled grenades and artillery shells.”

An explosion was heard at a building on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal overnight, media reports said on Saturday.

As Safir newspaper said that the blast targeted an Islamic courthouse affiliated with the Islamic State.

The foreign policies of Saudi King Abdullah, who passed away on Thursday, translated into a powerful assertion of Saudi Arabia's influence around the Middle East.

He floated the idea of the Arab Peace Initiative when he was crown prince at the 2002 Arab League summit that was held in Beirut.

The Appeals Panel of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has unanimously decided that the court does have jurisdiction to hear cases of obstruction of justice against legal persons in the case against the journalist Ibrahim al-Amin and al-Akhbar newspaper, the STL said in a statement on Friday.

“Following an appeal by the Amicus Curiae Prosecutor, the Appeals Panel – composed of Judge Afif Chamseddine (presiding), Judge Janet Nosworthy and Judge Ivana Hrdlièková – reversed the Contempt Judge’s previous decision on jurisdiction where he held that Rule 60 bis of the Tribunal’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence – that governs contempt and obstruction of justice offenses -- only applies to natural persons,” the court announced.

Israeli forces went briefly on high alert near the border with Lebanon on Wednesday evening, closing roads and asking residents to stay indoors, following reports of a suspected infiltration by a number of militants.

“After sending troops to the area, the IDF (Israeli army) Spokesman announced no infiltration has occurred, but asked that residents remained in their homes,” the website of Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported.