Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday said that an alleged “inter-Christian” dispute is not behind the ongoing presidential vacuum in the country, slamming some parties for “paralyzing” the presidential palace while claiming to be “defending Lebanon in Qalamoun and Syria.”

“How can we believe that some are defending Lebanon in Qalamoun and the rest of Syria, in Iraq and Yemen, while they are paralyzing the Baabda Palace – the very heart of Lebanon?” said Geagea at an LF rally, in an apparent reference to Hizbullah.

The Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement signed a landmark declaration of intent on Tuesday, in a move aimed at ending around 30 years of rivalry between the two Christian parties.

The stipulations of the document were announced after a meeting in Rabiyeh between LF chief Samir Geagea and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned Thursday that Hizbullah's fighting alongside the regime in Syria and a judicial verdict such as the one issued against ex-minister Michel Samaha are factors that encourage the proliferation of extremist groups similar to the Islamic State in Lebanon.

“Hizbullah's presence in Syria and a verdict such as Michel Samaha's verdict are factors that pave the ground for the presence of groups similar to the IS in Lebanon,” said Geagea in an interview on LBCI television.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam lamented Tuesday that “some parties” are not “in a hurry” to put an end to the protracting presidential vacuum, stressing that any solution must not imply a victory for one political camp over the other.

“Some parties are not in a hurry to end the presidential vacuum despite the threats that the country is facing,” said Salam in an address to the nation marking one year since the vacuum began at the presidential palace.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday accused Hizbullah of "hijacking the presidency" through its insistence on the candidacy of its ally MP Michel Aoun, as it held the party responsible for any harm against its officials in light of recent statements by Hizbullah officials.

“The bloc once again condemns Hizbullah's continued hijacking of the presidency through its insistence on a sole candidate and its attempt to paralyze the Lebanese democratic system and turn it into one of the regimes of hegemony and oppression,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel on Monday dismissed a call by Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun to withdraw confidence from him over the security appointments controversy.

“I did not hear him and I don't care about that,” Moqbel told reporters after a meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab.

A delegation from the Change and Reform bloc began on Monday touring rival political parties to discuss party chief MP Michel Aoun's recent initiative, which highlights the presidential vacuum and the appointment of high-ranking security officers in state posts.

The delegation's first stop was Bkirki where it met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat criticized on Thursday the sentence issued by the military court against former Minister Michel Samaha.

“The court's verdict in Samaha's case legalizes assassinations and explosions,” he said in a statement.

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan revealed on Friday that the “declaration of intentions” between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces has been completed.

“The implementation of the declaration began,” Kanaan said in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5).

The Lebanese Forces reiterated on Thursday that the LF parliamentary bloc and the Change and Reform bloc would not attend a legislative session if their demands are not met.

LF MP George Adwan told An Nahar newspaper that his bloc insists on putting the draft-law on giving Lebanese expats the nationality and the electoral draft-law on the agenda of the session that Speaker Nabih Berri is planning to call for.