President Michel Aoun on Monday stressed that “the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections will take place.”

He voiced his remarks during a meeting in Baabda with a delegation from the European Peoples Party.

A few days after resigning from al-Mustaqbal Movement, ex-MP Mustafa Alloush has confirmed that he will engage in the upcoming parliamentary elections to “fill the void in the Sunni arena” following ex-PM Saad Hariri’s withdrawal from politics.

“We have not finalized the alliances yet and things are supposed to crystallize in the next two days. The candidates whom we will ally with are either independent or close to al-Mustaqbal Movement,” Alloush said in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper.

At least two activists were beaten up Monday, one of them severely, after they chanted “Beirut Free, Iran Out!” at a section displaying pictures of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani at the Beirut International and Arab Book Fair at the Seaside Arena (previously known as BIEL).

MTV identified two of the activists as Shafik Bader and Nelly Qandil. It added that Bader’s cellphone was taken away by the attackers.

- Bakeries Closing Doors -

Several bakeries closed Monday as mills only delivered flour to Arabic bread bakeries, according to the mills agent in the South, Ali Rammal.

A top member of the gas station owners syndicate of Lebanon, George al-Brax, has reassured that there is no gasoline shortage in the market, asking consumers not to panic, as long queues returned to fuel stations over the past hours.

“The fuel quantities that are reaching Lebanon have become smaller than before, but what we’re receiving is sufficient to meet domestic need,” Brax said in a TV interview.

Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah have distanced themselves from a panel formed by President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Miqati with the aim of studying the written proposal that has been sent to Lebanon by U.S. sea border demarcation envoy Amos Hochstein, media reports said on Saturday.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated two “key Hizbullah financiers” operating in Guinea, a statement said.

The Cabinet on Friday decided to postpone the municipal and mayoral elections for a year, as it formed a ministerial panel on food security in connection with the war in Ukraine.

MTV said the decision to postpone the municipal vote was taken due to a lack of financial resources and manpower.

President Michel Aoun said Friday Lebanon is against any military operation on any free state and urged for negotiations to end the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.

Aoun stressed, during a meeting with the EU Delegation in Lebanon, the importance of dialogue instead of war and violence.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement deputy chief has submitted his resignation in a phone call with the Movement’s leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, the Movement said on Friday.

“Ex-PM Hariri decided today to consider the resignation effective and the decision was submitted to the general secretariat,” the Movement said in a statement.