Delegations from al-Mustaqbal movement tackled with leader Saad Hariri the relations of the party with other political movements mainly the Free Patriotic Movement and the latest campaign the latter waged against them, al-Joumhouria daily said on Tuesday.

Discussions focused on the situation in the northern city of Tripoli in the presence of Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, MPs Mohammed Kabbara and Ahmad Fatfat, the party's Coordinator in Tripoli Moustafa Alloush and a number of the city's officials, the daily added.

Families of the abducted Arsal soldiers held a brief sit-in near the Qatari embassy in Beirut, amid heightened security presence, protesting the delay in efforts to free their sons, the National News Agency said.

The families called on the state of Qatar to complete the efforts and help free their abducted sons “before the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end.”

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi held Hizbullah responsible for the al-Saadiyat incident, stressing commitment to the state's authority and urging all related officials to unite efforts and put an end to the party's behavior, the National News Agency said on Saturday.

“Lately we have seen the criminal act in al-Saadiyat where Hizbullah, under the cover of the so-called Resistance Brigades, violated the town and terrorized its people through a show of force repeating the scene of May 7,” said Rifi during an Iftar in the town of Tripoli.

Israeli troops deployed in the outskirts of the town of Shebaa and took combat positions close to Lebanon's Blue Line, the state-run National News Agency said on Saturday.

At 10:00 am, the troops deployed in the al-Shahel area near the Blue Line that demarcates the border between Lebanon and Israel, NNA added.

MP Michel Aoun has called on ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement and officials for a meeting in Rabieh to discuss the procedures to escalate measures in protest to what he describes as “marginalizing the role of Christians,” An Nahar daily reported on Saturday.

Aoun has called for a meeting to “discuss the situation in the government”, said the daily “mainly after Thursday's cabinet session” that approved a decree to export agricultural and industrial products by sea despite the FPM, Hizbullah and Tashnag Party ministers insistence that no issue should be discussed until appointments of high-ranking officials were made.

The government crisis is standing now on a new turn in light of MP Michel Aoun's calls to his supporters to take to the streets and PM Tammam Salam's call for a cabinet session next week which Aoun sees as a challenge, al-Joumhouria daily said on Saturday.

Aoun has called on his supporters to be prepared to take to the streets in protest to the decree approved by the cabinet on Thursday to export agricultural and industrial products by sea.

The army targeted militants on Saturday in several areas in the outskirts of al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek and Arsal after suspicious moves and attempts to infiltrate its positions, the state-run National News Agency said.

At dawn, the army targeted the militants with heavy artillery in Wadi Rafiq in the outskirts of al-Qaa, in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and Arsal area after it suspicious moves aiming to infiltrate its positions, NNA.

Al-Mustaqbal movement confirmed on Thursday the necessity to continue the dialogue with Hizbullah mainly after al-Saadiyat incident, prominent sources told As Safir daily.

“We adhere to the dialogue with Hizbullah in commitment to the directions of chief Saad Hariri (the movement’s leader). Al-Saadiyat incident showed the importance of the talks between al-Mustaqbal and Hizbullah,” the sources stated.

Heavy clashes erupted early on Wednesday in the area of al-Saadiyat leaving scores of people injured, including an army personnel, and triggering a state of chaos in the area, an army communique said.

The sides involved in the clashes belonged to different political parties, it added.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hailed on Tuesday the efforts of the health and labor ministries for the launch of the unified medical prescription form, which he said would “ease the burden on citizens.”

During a ceremony held at the Grand Serail for the occasion, Salam said: “We hereby meet after the strenuous efforts of the health and labor ministries, the syndicates and the National Social Security Fund to reach a national achievement.”