Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan led Eid al-Adha prayers on Thursday, calling for dialogue and the election of a president to resolve the country's growing political crises.

“Political crises are increasing, institutions are getting paralyzed and the presidential elections are not being held,” said Daryan in his sermon at Mohammed al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat has mocked the failure to elect a new president by proposing to move the national dialogue from Beirut to the islands of Seychelles.

In remarks to As Safir daily published on Wednesday, Jumblat said he made the proposal to insist that “the conditions are not yet ripe for the election of a president.”

Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb said Wednesday that his waste management plan is on the right track of implementation to resolve the country’s two-month garbage crisis.

“Preparations for the implementation of the plan are ongoing and the work is serious,” Shehayyeb told al-Joumhouria newspaper. “It has become closer to reality.”

Lebanon's rival leaders met on Tuesday for the third round of national dialogue amid heavy reinforcements made by security forces to stop protesters from reaching the parliament building in downtown Beirut's Nejmeh Square.

A terse statement said the conferees focused on the issue of the presidential vacuum and that the next rounds of national dialogue will be held on October 6, 7 and 8.

Unknown assailants opened fire at dawn Saturday at al-Jadeed television building in Beirut, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said the incident took place around 2:30 am.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq reiterated that his resignation is pointless, pledging to protect “peaceful” demonstrators during an anti-government march planned for Sunday.

Al-Mashnouq expressed willingness to resign in “defense of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, or if his resignation would guarantee in solving the country's problem.”

Protesters holding a sit-in near the Environment Ministry in downtown Beirut announced on Thursday an end to their hunger strike but said their tents will remain in the area.

“We achieved our objective. We held him (Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq) accountable through street protests,” said hunger striker Waref Suleiman at a press conference.

Lebanon's rival leaders met for the second round of national dialogue on Wednesday as scores of civil society activists clashed with security forces during a demonstration aimed at shaming the officials for failing to resolve crucial issues.

The all-party talks were chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri at the parliament for the second week in a row as “You Stink” movement activists staged a protest to coincide with the dialogue in downtown Beirut.

The military court approved on Tuesday the release of nine people, including minors, arrested during recent protests held in downtown Beirut on rioting charges.

Lawyers had filed a request for setting free 16 of the detainees but the tribunal decided to release only nine of them.

Financial Prosecutor Judge Ali Ibrahim ordered on Wednesday Electricity du Liban's general manager to cut off electricity from the homes and institutions of officials who haven't paid their bills.

Ibrahim told the head of the state-run firm, Kamal al-Hayek, that he should start implementing the decision he has taken.