The Syrian government on Monday apologized for not being able to receive Wednesday a Lebanese delegation that was supposed to discuss the issue of sea border demarcation between the two countries, an official Lebanese source said.

The Syrian government said the apology is related to “previously-scheduled appointments,” Al-Jazeera TV quoted the source as saying.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Monday marked the 77th United Nations Day at its headquarters in Naqoura.

"Following the positive outcome of the maritime negotiations, the Mission reaffirmed its strong commitment to creating space for a political and diplomatic solution between Lebanon and Israel," UNIFIL said in a statement.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday lashed out at the Change and independent MPs over their nominations for the presidential election.

“The way MPs behaved today was a real tragedy,” Geagea said in an interview on al-Jadeed TV, referring to the presidential election session that was held earlier in the day, which failed to produce a new president in the fourth such failure since September 29.

Lebanese depositor Wafik Mohammed Kalo on Monday locked up himself and other people inside BLOM Bank’s branch in the southern city of Sidon, demanding that he be paid $5,000 from his account to pay for his son’s heart surgery.

The drama ended a few hours later after the bank paid Kalo LBP 280 million.

Lebanon’s parliament on Monday failed for the fourth time to elect a new president for the country, only a week away from the expiry of President Michel Aoun’s term.

Out of 128 MPs, only 114 attended the vote’s first round.

Lebanon and Israel will sign a U.S.-brokered maritime border demarcation deal on Thursday, U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein said.

"We're going to have a deal," Hochstein told CNN, adding that it will "hopefully" be signed this Thursday.

The dollar exchange rate dropped from LBP 40,600 to 36,000 on the black market overnight, shortly after Central Bank Governor Riad Salamah said in a statement that the Central Bank would stop buying dollars on the Sayrafa platform as of Tuesday.

The unofficial exchange rate later surged to LBP 37,000.

The Israeli army said Monday it has thwarted a drug and weapon smuggling attempt from Lebanese territory into Israel overnight.

"A suspect was apprehended and two handguns and 30kg of drugs were confiscated," the Israeli army stated on twitter.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday said the political forces that seek presidential vacuum would be comitting "national treason."

The Presidency on Sunday dismissed as "totally baseless" media reports claiming that President Michel Aoun intends to sign "a decree accepting the government's resignation."