Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said on Friday that the upcoming municipal elections will kick off on May 15 instead of May 9 so they will not coincide with the holidays.

He slammed reports that the elections have been postponed and emphasized that they were only rescheduled because they coincide with Labor Day and Easter holiday.

Saudi owned al-Arabiya television news channel said on Friday that it has shut down its office in Beirut citing security reasons.

Al-Arabiya and its partner company al-Hadath closed office located in Riad el-Solh square in downtown Beirut after informing the employees through the Director of Personnel and the station's lawyer Elie Danniel of the decision.

The General Security arrested on Friday four Lebanese and a Syrian after forming a terror network of minors that they tasked with carrying out attacks against the Lebanese army and security apparatuses.

"Within its framework to follow up on the activities of terrorist and sleeper cells, the General Security arrested Lebanese Kh.Kh., B.S., A.M., A.M and Syrian M.G. For forming a network that has links to a terror group,” the General Security said in a statement.

The cabinet session scheduled to convene next week has a number of controversial files on its agenda to tackle mainly the issue of the State Security agency, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

The daily added that a suggested solution to create a six-member leader authority was not approved by all political parties and that it requires a draft-law to be presented at parliament.

The overall initiatives and stances that were conveyed by international delegates to Lebanon lately have focused on three major issues including supporting the army, help ease the burden of Syrian refugees and ending the presidential vacuum, An Nahar daily reported on Friday.

Sources following up closely on the international diplomatic mobility in Lebanon which intensified recently told the daily: “The overall initiatives, aid and stances that have been conveyed by delegates and representatives to Beirut focus mainly on three major issues that the whole western and international community agree on.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that he is adamant to revive the parliament legislation emphasizing that the step in in line with the national pact and that the country needs this measure at the current stage, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

Speaking to his visitors, Berri was quoted as saying that “the parliament session that he will call for is in line with the national pact,” and that he plans to hold “several sessions not just an orphan one.”

The Internal Security Forces on Thursday announced busting what it called the “most dangerous” human trafficking and prostitution ring in Lebanon.

Unknown assailants torched a vehicle that was rented by Lebanese national Hassan Meselmani in the southern town of al-Shaatieh, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

NNA said that Hassan had worked as a broker with Mohammed al-Meslmani, aka al-Brazili, who is in detention on charges of fraud and for collecting and freely dispensing of millions of dollars from his townspeople.

Four illegal internet stations have been proven to exist so far in the mountainous terrains of al-Dinnieh, Ayoun al-Siman, Faqra and Zaarour amid information that suspects involved in the case have not been unveiled or apprehended so far, An Nahar daily reported on Thursday.

According to the daily, the ministers of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, Telecommunications Butros Harb and Defense Samir Moqbel are following up closely on the file and have reiterated during Wednesday's media committee meeting the persistence to resolve the case.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat downplayed the latest fears that arose on the possibility of naturalizing Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and stressed that we must not waste the opportunity presented by the World Bank and the United Nations to cope with the refugee burden.

“I do not see (any intentions of) naturalization and I cannot find any reason for resorting to extreme theories. I believe that when the situation stabilizes in Syria, the refugees will return,” Jumblat told As Safir daily in an interview.