A contractor said Tuesday that he negotiated with an Australian television network to snatch two Lebanese-Australian children from their father's family in Beirut but the network chose a cheaper option.

Col Chapman, who describes himself as a child recovery specialist, said executives at the Nine Network's "60 Minutes" program told him to "sharpen his pencil" when he quoted them 150,000 Australian dollars ($114,000) late last year to get the children Lahala, 6, and Noah, 4, out of Lebanon.

Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon stated on Monday that there is no financial scandal linked to the controversial file of the State Security Agency and slammed reports claiming that there is a kind of political “fight” over the file.

“There is no battle and no one is raising the stakes in the State Security file,” said Pharaon in a press conference.

The General Security agency was able to arrest an extremist network that recruits minors in favor of the Islamic State group and is active between the northern areas of al-Mankoubin and Wadi Nahle, al-Akhbar daily reported on Monday.

Lebanese Democratic Party chief MP Talal Arslan visited Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Sunday along with a delegation from Choueifat and told the premier that the town's residents are opposed to the establishment of a garbage landfill in the Costa Brava area.

The delegation comprised Choueifat municipal chief Melhem al-Souqi, municipality members, the town's mayors and representatives of political parties and civil society groups.

An exchange of gun fire erupted overnight on Sunday between a fugitive and anti-police theft in the northern Bekaa town of Brital, the National News Agency reported.

The fire occurred when anti-theft police raided the town and tried to ambush fugitive Ali Mohammed M., added NNA.

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said on Sunday that the numbers circulated in media outlets of Lebanese emigrants deported from the Gulf countries are exaggerated.

“The numbers of Lebanese emigrants spread in media outlets do not reflect the reality and are overstated,” said the Ministry in a statement.

The calls of Prime Minister Tammam Salam for the cabinet session on Tuesday have cleared the air of doubts following the latest heated session over the appointments of the members of the general-directorate of state security, An Nahar daily reported on Sunday.

The cabinet had convened on Thursday, but it was marred by the ongoing dispute over the state security agency. The possibility of holding another session was questionable.

A meeting between Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz has been set to take place in Istanbul next week, the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily reported on Sunday.

Salam was informed by the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri that a meeting has been arranged with the Saudi King in Istanbul, the daily added.

Al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri hailed on Friday the jailing of former Information Minister Michel Samaha over terrorism charges.

“The verdict against terrorist Michel Samaha rectifies a former lighter sentence which we have all disapproved and announced that we won't accept,” said Hariri via Twitter.

The growing American and western role in Lebanon is thriving recently in a bid to confront the Iranian role that has been exacerbating lately in the country, a well-informed diplomatic source told As Safir on Friday.

“There is a western and American role that has been increasing lately in Lebanon in an attempt to counter the growing Iranian role,” the source told the daily on condition of anonymity.