The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Major-General Michael Beary met with Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday where he briefed him on the situation along the Blue Line and the UNIFIL's efforts together with the Lebanese army to maintain security in the south, a UNIFIL press statement said on Friday.

This was Beary’s first meeting with the Speaker after he assumed command of UNIFIL on 19 July.

Top gunman in Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, Ziad Allouki, was released from jail on Friday after serving his sentence, media reports said.

Allouki had turned himself in to the military intelligence in 2014 along with other leaders of armed fighters in the northern city of Tripoli.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed on Friday that Lebanon is in dire need for a “wise” president to fill the over two year vacuum and assured that there are seven candidates eligible for the post other than the names of the four nominees circulated in media outlets, An Nahar daily reported.

Without naming the candidates that he sees eligible to be head of state, Salam said in an interview to the daily that the “political life in Lebanon will not be regulated unless a president is elected.”

The repercussions of the battle in the neighboring Syrian town of Aleppo on Lebanon will not be reflected on the stalemate of electing a president, but will mainly drive a new wave of displaced Syrians towards Lebanon for refuge, foreign diplomatic sources told al-Joumhouria daily on Thursday.

“The presidential file is not linked to the situation in Aleppo. The major impact on Lebanon as the result of the developments in the Syrian town will be a new wave of displaced Syrians towards it,” said the sources.

Electrictie du Liban contract workers staged protests on Wednesday and blocked the vital highway of Charles Helou protesting the officials failure to meet their longstanding demand for their full-time employment.

The protest kicked off at 10:00 am amid intense security measures.

The Lebanese army arrested forty Syrian suspects on Wednesday in raids it staged on refugee encampments in the Bekaa town of Hermel, the National News Agency reported.

Army troops and intelligence units carried out a wide-scale raid that began at 6:00 am and that included the displaced encampments in the region of Hermel in al-Tall, Hosh al-Sayyed Ali and al-Shawagir, NNA added.

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji emphasized that the army exerts relentless efforts to fight back terrorism as he emphasized that he does not interfere in the decisions of the authorities as for his term extension, As Safir daily reported on Wednesday.

“The army is locked in a close race with terrorism which seeks to target its arena,” Qahwaji told the daily in an interview.

The United States has delivered $50 million worth of military assistance to the Lebanese army to help it battle against jihadist extremists near the border with Syria.

Some promising developments have emerged lately in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh after several fugitives, who sought refuge in the camp, turned themselves in to the army intelligence the recent was Mohammed Taha, son of Tawfiq Taha the commander of Abdullah Azzam Brigades and another fugitive of the Darwish family, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Tuesday.

Palestinian sources following up closely on the issue, assured that more fugitives will turn themselves in and that the army checkpoints that were erected at the entrances to the camp saw nine fugitives surrender in less than two weeks.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea could be mulling the possibility of nominating a new candidate for the presidency other than founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun, although a senior source at the party assured otherwise, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

The daily related to Geagea's interview to the Saudi al-Riyadh newspaper where he pointed out and said: “We are looking for a solution to the current crisis, not that because we support Aoun, but because we want to push forward the Lebanese institutions.”