Lebanese Forces leader and presidential candidate Samir Geagea on Tuesday announced that he stands “at the same distance” from all political parties, including Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, while accusing FPM's supporters of twisting his remarks about his meeting with former premier Saad Hariri.

“I don't think I was misunderstood, but some parties deliberately interpreted my remarks in that manner, as (FPM chief) General (Michel) Aoun's supporters are really wishing to obtain the support of the March 14 forces and ex-PM Hariri for their candidate and they're hoping Aoun will be elected president,” Geagea said in an interview in Paris with Radio Orient.

Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday described Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's scheduled visit to Jerusalem as “problematic,” expressing his belief that no new president will be elected within the constitutional timeframe, which ends on May 25.

“We believe that al-Rahi's visit to occupied Palestine is problematic. It has to do with the patriarchate and Christians and we don't know what negative repercussions might arise from it, but we will evaluate it and comment on it if necessary,” Qassem said in an interview on al-Mayadeen TV.

The Trial Chamber of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Monday ordered the resumption of trial of the five accused in the Ayyash et al. case on June 18, 2014.

During a status conference that tackled the resumption of trial and Lebanon's cooperation with the STL, "the Trial Chamber issued an oral ruling, setting the date for the resumption of trial on Wednesday, 18 June," the court said in a statement.

Hizbullah members on Saturday clashed with Syrian gunmen who tried to infiltrate the Bekaa town of Brital, LBCI television reported.

"A clash erupted between Hizbullah members and armed Syrians in Brital when the gunmen tried to infiltrate Brital,” LBCI said.

Hizbullah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem noted on Wednesday that the current conditions in Lebanon are not appropriate to stage the presidential elections.

He said: “There is therefore no point to hold presidential election sessions if these conditions persist.”

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel revealed on Tuesday that the March 14 alliance might reach a stage in which it will start “considering alternatives in the presidential race.”

"There is an ongoing electoral game, but we will reach a point when we will have to consider alternatives for presidency,” Gemayel said in an interview with al-Manar television.

Hizbullah stressed Sunday that Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea will not be able to be elected as the country's new president, noting that “those who rejected the policy statement” of Tammam Salam's cabinet have no place in the Baabda Palace.

“The Lebanese are eagerly awaiting the election of a new president because they want the country to capitalize on the positive steps that were achieved with the formation of the cabinet and the implementation of the security plan,” Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad said during a memorial service in the southern town of Blida.

A reconciliation was reached Sunday between the Meqdad and Nasseredine families following mediation efforts by AMAL Movement and Hizbullah, a day after fierce clashes between the two clans left several people injured and caused extensive material damage.

“A reconciliation was achieved at Mr. Rashed Jaafar's house in Beirut between members of the Meqdad and Nasseredine families who live in Rweiss, in the presence of a number of figures and dignitaries,” state-run National News Agency reported.

Prosecution witnesses in the jailbreak trial of Egypt's ousted president Mohammed Morsi on Wednesday accused members of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Lebanon's Hizbullah of attacking Egyptian prisons during the 2011 uprising.

The trial, one of three against Morsi, is part of a government crackdown that has targeted him and his Muslim Brotherhood movement since his ouster by the army in July.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday announced the revival of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc and the nomination of its member MP Henri Helou for the presidency, one day before a parliamentary session aimed at voting for a new president.

“The Democratic Gathering has been revived with all its members and we're one family again,” Jumblat said after a meeting in Clemenceau.