A major blaze erupted Sunday in the fields and groves of Akkar's Mashha and flames threatened a gas firm in the town, state-run National News Agency reported.

“Civil Defense crews assisted by three firefighting vehicles and two bulldozers from the town struggled to contain the flames amid fears that the fire could spread to the Shaaban gas firm,” NNA said.

An armed group has kidnapped Lebanese citizen Jerjes Rashed Rashed, 51, in the strife-torn Libyan city of Benghazi, asking for a million dollar ransom, Lebanon's National News Agency reported Sunday.

The agency said Rashed was abducted four days ago from his house in Benghazi. He was taken to an unknown destination.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Sunday that there is “Arab consensus” over the issue of providing military equipment to the Lebanese Army.

The promised support is aimed at enabling the army to “preserve the country's security, protect the state's constitutional institutions and safeguard national unity and Lebanon's social fabric,” Arabi said in a speech at the opening of an extraordinary meeting for the League's permanent representatives in Cairo.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour described on Sunday relations between Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri as “good and solid.”

“Even if they have different stances but respect, friendship and cooperation remain,” Abou Faour pointed out.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi slammed on Sunday the negligence of lawmakers and their failure to carry out their constitutional tasks.

“The people reject such carelessness,” al-Rahi said in a harshly worded sermon at Our Lady of Lebanon basilica in Harissa.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil expressed relief on Sunday over the security situation in Lebanon, urging political arch-foes to reach a settlement over the presidential crisis to end the deadlock.

“The presidential poll should be staged as soon as possible,” Bassil said in an interview with the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

Free Patriotic Movement Chief MP Michel Aoun denied on Sunday media reports saying that he intends to carry out a foreign trip soon.

“It's absolutely false,” Aoun said via twitter.

Telecommunications Minister Burtos Harb lashed out on Sunday at Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, accusing them of the presidential crisis.

“Hizbullah is contributing to the presidential deadlock, while the real reason behind the crisis is Michel Aoun,” Harb said in an interview with the Kuwaiti daily al-Anbaa.

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh ruled out on Sunday that any meeting between head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Gaegea will lead to a breakthrough to the presidential deadlock.

“Each politician has a different political stance and its normal for each, Geagea and Aoun, to seek to be elected as the new head of state,” Franjieh said in comments published in al-Mustaqbal newspaper.

Hizbullah is mulling to increase the number of its fighters in the neighboring country Syria, the Saudi al-Watan daily reported on Sunday.

According to the newspaper, Hizbullah is seeking to cover-up for the shortage that is expected to occur due to the withdrawal of Iraqi fighters from Syria in order to participate in the fight against Sunni Arab militants who have seized a swathe of northern Iraq.