The Saudi king and Russia's foreign minister have met in Saudi Arabia ahead of a possible visit by the monarch to Russia next month.

Saudi Arabia's state news agency said King Salman and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday discussed the war in Syria and an Arab diplomatic crisis with Qatar.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon Ali bin Hamad al-Meri at the Center House, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

Talks between the two men focused on the situation in Lebanon and the region, NNA said.

Al-Mustaqbal lawmaker Nabil De Freige said on Saturday that shall the minutes of a government session held during the term of ex-PM Tammam Salam about the slain servicemen be declassified, “President Michel Aoun will be surprised by the content of the recordings.”

President Michel Aoun is expected to travel to Moscow and the Russian leadership has informed its ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin to begin preparations for the visit knowing that a specific date has not been set yet, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

“Russian sources in Moscow said the capital prepares to receive President Aoun pointing out that preparations have already begun in that context,” the daily quoted unnamed sources.

The Higher Defense Council convened at the Baabda Palace on Friday at the request of President Michel Aoun after a state funeral held in honor of soldiers abducted by the Islamic State extremists and later executed.

The gatherers held a moment of silence in honor of the martyr servicemen.

During a state funeral on Friday held in honor of servicemen slain by the Islamic State extremist group, President Michel Aoun vowed that blood of the martyrs will never go in vain and that the truth will be unveiled in the end.

“I vow to you that blood of your sons will not go in vain until the goals they died for are attained and until the truth is unveiled,” said Aoun addressing families of the servicemen.

The US and Italian Embassies in Beirut hailed the Lebanese army's sacrifices and saluted martyrs of the Lebanese army kidnapped and later executed by the Islamic State extremist organization.

“We salute the Lebanese people’s resilience in confronting terrorism and the Lebanese army's sacrifices in making Lebanon safe for its citizens,” said a US embassy statement.

Lebanon bid farewell on Friday to ten of its soldiers captured and executed by the Islamic State extremist group, after DNA tests matched the identities of the servicemen who disappeared during battles with the group in 2014.

A state funeral was held during a national day of mourning at the Defense Ministry.

The cabinet held a minute's silence ahead of its session on Thursday in honor of the country's soldiers killed by the Islamic State extremist group.

The remains of the soldiers were retrieved last week from the northeastern border town of Arsal. DNA tests revealed on Wednesday that the samples have matched the identifies of the servicemen.

Syria's army said Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed two people at a military facility in the country's west, and that the missiles were fired from Lebanon's air space.

The army said the air raid targeted a facility near the western town of Masyaf, close to the Mediterranean coast, a stronghold of President Bashar Assad.