Supporters of Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir on Sunday rallied at the roundabout of Bahaeddine Hariri Mosque in Sidon, which blocked traffic on the city's eastern highway, state-run National News Agency reported.

The sit-in caused traffic jam on the seaside highway, amid the return of holidaymakers from the South, the agency noted.

Two people were killed and five others were wounded when rockets fired from Syria hit the Bekaa towns of al-Qasr and Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in the Hermel District on Sunday.

“Ali Hasan Qataya was killed and four people were wounded, one critically, when shells fired from Syria hit the center of the Hermel town of al-Qasr,” said Lebanon's National News Agency.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan on Sunday rejected the “approach of the March 8 camp towards the Druze sect” and stressed the need to “preserve the unity of the army, people and resistance” in the Policy Statement of the new cabinet.

During his meetings with popular delegations from several regions, Arslan called on Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam to “take his time and consult with all the political parties in the country in order to form a national unity cabinet that can confront the challenges.”

President Michel Suleiman slammed Israel on Sunday for its continued threats against Lebanon, urging the international community to pressure it to end its intimidation.

In a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency, Suleiman said: “The Israeli enemy continues to threaten Lebanon through its overflights in a new and grave violation of (U.N. Security Council) resolution 1701.”

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam thanked on Sunday all the Lebanese who congratulated him on his nomination and said he looked forward to everyone's cooperation to form his new government.

In a statement issued by his press office, Salam thanked all the Lebanese for their support since he was tasked with forming the cabinet earlier this month.

The deputy head of Hizbullah's executive council and a Hizbullah MP called on Sunday for understanding among the rival political parties to avoid a new crisis on the formation of the new cabinet which they said should represent political parties.

“Lebanon is based on understanding whether in the formation (of the government) or the electoral law,” Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, the council's deputy leader, said during a seminar organized by a cultural center in Nabatiyeh.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said Sunday that the controversial elections for the 32-member Higher Islamic Council were legitimate and a decision by the Shura Council to cancel the polls was not binding, as the boycotters slammed the vote as "illegitimate."

In remarks after the elections kicked off, Qabbani said: “The polls are legitimate and we are not concerned with the opinion of the Shura Council.”

The National Struggle Front of MP Walid Jumblat along with several other lawmakers are seeking to challenge parliament’s endorsement to suspend the deadlines set by the 1960 vote law.

The revelation was made by Caretaker Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal to Jumblat, in an interview with An Nahar newspaper published Sunday.

A meeting held between Premier-designate Tammam Salam and a delegation from the Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition will be followed by more talks after they failed to strike a deal on the nature of the new cabinet over Salam's insistence to form a neutral government, sources said.

“We discussed with him our point of view on the need for a cabinet of political figures that represent all parties and Salam informed us that he prefers a government of neutral” figures, the sources of the delegation told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published Sunday.

President Michel Suleiman stressed on Saturday the need for national interests to be placed above all else in order to keep the country clear of foreign conflicts.

He said: “We must derive lessons from regional developments and realize the need for cooperation among all sides to keep country away from these crises.”