Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned the terrorist acts of sabotage against oil tankers off the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates, saying they pose a serious threat to the safety of navigation in one of the world's most important waterways, the Premier press office said on Monday.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Monday stressed that diplomatic cables leak is “impermissible” especially if it comes in a “systematic or programmed manner.”

In its evening meeting which extended until after midnight, the Cabinet convened under the chairmanship of Premier Saad Hariri and discussed the tax articles, said Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah.

Retired servicemen on Monday blocked the entrances of Banque du Liban branches and blocked the vital highway of Dahr al-Baydar in protest at possible government plans to cut retirement salaries as part of austere measures to cut the state’s deficit.

The retirees suspended their sit-in outside BDL's headquarters in Hamra and outside the branches after a meeting with Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab in the afternoon.

The Premiership has announced that Wednesday and Thursday will be national mourning days over the death of former Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.

MP Sethrida Geagea on Sunday described late Maronite ex-patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir as a "saint" who "stood by the Lebanese Forces party in the darkest circumstances, especially after the Taef Accord and between the years 1990 and 2005."

A grouping of retired servicemen on Sunday vowed to stage protests and block vital facilities on Monday morning to warn the government against "touching retirement salaries or social aid stipulated by the law."

The Cabinet will hold a session at 9:30 pm Sunday and another on Monday morning in a bid to finalize the 2019 draft state budget.

Lebanon's leaders and politicians on Sunday mourned the death of former Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, an influential figure in Lebanon's modern history.

Lebanon's former Maronite patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, who wielded considerable political influence during the country's civil war and was an ardent advocate of a Syrian troop withdrawal, died Sunday, the church said.