World Bank President Jim Yong Kim deemed the election of President Michel Aoun as an essential milestone to restore the regularity of the constitutional institutions in Lebanon, stressing the World Bank Group's constant commitment towards the Lebanese state, the National News Agency reported.

Kim also expressed aspirations to support Aoun in building a resilient and flexible economy which would lead to the revival of Lebanon and its development.

Despite the promising atmospheres that prevailed on Monday indicating easing of differences obstructing the formation of a cabinet, Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam stated on Tuesday that the party still insists to be given the controversial portfolio of public works, fading hopes of a soon cabinet line-up.

In an interview to VDL (93.3) Karam unveiled an initiative to facilitate the government formation that was launched following the recent speech of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah between the LF, Free Patriotic Movement and al-Mustaqbal Movement without disclosing the details.

DNA tests from the relatives of the abducted servicemen will be compared with DNA retrieved from several corpses found by the Syrian army in one of the areas liberated from the Islamic State group control in Syria, media reports said Tuesday.

A security source told al-Akhbar daily that DNA samples were received from the families of the servicemen, abducted by the IS in Arsal in 2014, and will be sent to Syria to be compared with unidentified bodies believed to belong to the soldiers.

Media reports said that parties are mulling calls to hold a spiritual Christian-Islamic summit with the aim of backing President Michel Aoun and the new tenure, in order to provide atmospheres appropriate for the new government to function properly, the Kuwaiti As-Seyasah daily reported Monday.

Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Ministry strongly condemned in a statement on Monday, the terrorist bombings which targeted the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday evening leaving several killed and wounded.

“The ministry offers its condolences to the Turkish leadership, people and to the families of the victims who died in the convicted crime that targeted the institutional legitimacy in Turkey,” said the statement.

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan said the negotiations happening at the level of forming a new cabinet “have recorded a clear progress,” and the latest contacts gave the “stalled formation a push forward.”

“There is clear progress in the negotiations happening at the governmental level, but the final visualization is to expressed by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. No doubt that the latest contacts gave the formation a push forward,” said Kanaan in an interview to VDL (100.5).

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr pressed charges against four individuals, two Lebanese and two Syrians, over affiliation to the Islamic State terrorist group, the National News Agency said on Saturday.

The suspects were accused of carrying out terrorist acts, preparing for suicide attacks, bombing security forces' centers and checkpoints in close proximity to official headquarters, NNA added.

General Security forces in Mount Lebanon busted 36 African suspects in Beirut's Dora area on charges of residing illegally in Lebanon and for facilitating prostitution, the National News Agency reported Saturday.

“After thoroughly tracking members of the network, comprised of 36 individuals of different African nationalities, General Security Intelligence Units were able to bust the cell and confiscate some amounts of hashish and cocaine in their possession,” NNA said.

The latest meetings between some political parties delved on easing the difficulties hampering the formation of a new cabinet, have not arrived at an adequate solution for the allotment of the public works ministerial portfolio, while Hizbullah insists on the formation of a 30-minister cabinet, al-Joumhouria daily reported Saturday.

Sources following up closely on the meetings between President Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on one hand and between Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh on the other, told the daily that a final decision on the controversial public works portfolios has not be reached.

The Lebanese Army staged wide security raids at dawn on Saturday in the northeastern region of Masharih al-Qaa and arrested tens of suspects, the National News Agency reported Saturday.

The Airborne Regiment, a Land Border Regiment unit and the Army Intelligence staged the raids in the Syrian refugee encampments in Masharih al-Qaa in search of fugitives, NNA added.