Security forces Tuesday fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters, including retired soldiers, who tried to break through the fence leading to the government headquarters in downtown Beirut, ahead of a cabinet session.

The protesters hurled stones at the armed forces protecting the government headquarters and repeatedly tried to break through the fence, while some of them suffered breathing problems from the tear gas.

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh “will not continue with his presidential nomination if he does not sense a positive stance from the Gulf states and the Arab nations regarding this nomination,” caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makari of the Marada Movement said.

“He does not intend to repeat the experience of ex-president Michel Aoun” with the Gulf countries, Makari told al-Hurra television.

Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to increase the private sector’s minimum monthly wage from 2.6 million to 9 million pounds, worth $92.50 at the country’s black market rate, which dominates the market. The ministers also raised the exchange rate used for calculating customs fees from 30,000 pounds to the dollar to the central bank’s Sayrafa platform, where the dollar is valued at 86,700 pounds.

Parliament earlier on Tuesday postponed municipal elections for up to a year amid concerns the government would not be able to secure the needed funding in time for the polling.

Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel has met at the Elysee Palace with French presidential advisor Patrick Durel.

“We did not discuss (presidential) candidates and there is a French idea that was being circulated in this regard,” Gemayel said after the talks.

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U.S. Embassy Beirut and the United Nations commence Tuesday cash distributions under the “Livelihood Support Program.”

The first tranche of this program, valued at $16.5 million, will disburse temporary financial support for Internal Security Forces (ISF) personnel.

Parliament passed Tuesday a law that extends municipalities' term for a second time for up to a year, in a session boycotted by the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb, Tajaddod and Change MPs.

Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi had urged the government to secure the necessary funds to start the elections on May 7, but government failed to secure the funds.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday pledged to respond against any Israeli attack in Lebanon following last week's major cross-border escalation.

Describing the flare-up as “an important and major event,” Nasrallah said that Hezbollah’s “policy of silence is the best choice in managing the battle with the enemy.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called Thursday for a legislative session that will take place on Tuesday and during which the MPs will vote on a draft law for extending the municipalities' term.

Two draft laws have been submitted by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab and MP Sajih Atiyeh. The first aims at extending the municipalities' term by 4 months, and the second extends the municipal councils' term by a year.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that the reality of the crisis is the existence of an "illegal armed organization," usurping the strategic decision of the state.

"The last example is what we witnessed in the south last week," he added.