Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday called for adjoining the cases of the Choueifat and Qabrshmoun incidents and referring them together to the Judicial Council.

Calling for “respecting people and their intelligence,” Jumblat said the Qabrshmoun incident “resulted from the previous chaos that marred some armed demonstrations all the way to the Choueifat crime, whose perpetrator has fled to Syria.”

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday pledged that he will leave “a much better country” to his successor at the environmental, economic and social levels.

“We will overcome the current crisis and the situation will improve gradually,” Aoun told a delegation of students from 30 Lebanese universities.

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Ghada Aoun on Wednesday ordered the release of the members of Lebanese rock band Mashrou’s Leila after they were interrogated by the State Security agency.

“The band’s members removed Facebook posts that insult Christian sanctities at the behest of the Directorate General of State Security,” the National News Agency said.

Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan on Wednesday warned that “people might take their right with their own hands” should authorities fail to refer the file of the deadly Qabrshmoun incident to the Judicial Council.

“No one would be able to control the situation at that moment,” he cautioned after talks in Ain el-Tineh with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired a meeting at the Grand Serail on Wednesday with several ministers and heads of municipalities where discussions focused on the options available as concerns emerge over a new garbage crisis after the closure of Costa Brava landfill.

“The meeting was good and productive. Closure of the Costa Brava landfill is an old decision that was postponed,” said State Minister for Parliament Affairs Mahmoud Qmati after the meeting. “It is not linked to any political development,” he assured.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim reportedly told President Michel Aoun that the suggested solutions to resolve the Qabrshmoun crisis have “failed to bear fruition” in light of adamant positions to refer the case to the Judicial Council, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations, Amal Mudallali, slammed Israel’s claims at the UN Security Council that the Port of Beirut was used to “smuggle” weapons to Hizbullah, and accused Israel of threatening Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure, media reports said on Wednesday.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday said the FPM supports the Lebanese Forces in the row over regulating Palestinian labor in Lebanon.

“The bloc supports the LF in the issue of enforcing the labor law and we hope they will continue with it,” said Bassil in response to a reporter’s question. He was speaking after the weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday slammed what it called an attempt to take a swipe at Prime Minister Saad Hariri over the ongoing dispute pertaining to the deadly Qabrshmoun incident.

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc stressed “the importance of finding judicial exits for the regrettable incident in Qabrshmoun” and called for embracing “the initiatives on which President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Saad Hariri have agreed.”

They sparked controversy in Egypt, and were banned from performing in Jordan. Now alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila might have a concert canceled at home in Lebanon over alleged offense to religion.