The Lebanese army has erected checkpoints on the roads and entrances leading to the southern town of al-Nabatieh, the National News Agency reported on Thursday.

NNA said ,army troops and military vehicles were positioned at the checkpoints in search of fugitives.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said although the security situation in Lebanon is “under control,” but vigilance is essential to counter threats of Islamic State retaliation as the result of its losses in the region, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

“The situation is under control, the security in our country may be better than many other surrounding countries, or even better than many states around the world,” said Abbas in an interview to al-Joumhouria saily on Thursday.

The Lebanese army kicked off efforts early on Wednesday and closed the illegal crossings on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the northern Beqaa district of Hermel, media reports said.

It embarked on closing the crossings near the towns of al-Qasr and Hosh Sayyed Ali, the reports added.

A Progressive Socialist party delegation met with President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, where talks focused on the controversial electoral law, amid reports saying that the PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat had planned to suggest some amendments to the 1960 electoral law.

The delegation included the MPs: Wael Abou Faour, Ghazi al-Aridi, Akram Shehayyeb, Alaa Terron and Henri Helou.

In light of the debate over approving a new electoral law, Speaker Nabih Berri urged the cabinet to implement the pledges it made in its ministerial statement, and assured that the parliament will study and approve all 75 draft laws listed on its agenda.

Berri renewed rejections on Wednesday for staging the upcoming parliamentary elections based on the current 1960 law or the extension of the parliament's term, saying: “No need to explain my stance again. I have reached the threshold of despair,” he told Ad Diyar in an interview.

Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Tuesday that efforts to keep the current 1960 electoral law does not only reflect “negatively” on the country, but also harms everyone including President Michel Aoun's term, al-Joumhouria daily reported Tuesday.

“Attempts to maintain the 1960 electoral law, negatively affects the country and harms everyone, at the forefront of which is the term of Aoun,” said Berri.

Head of the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Walid Jumblat said he no longer supports holding the upcoming parliamentary elections based on a hybrid law system as agreed previously with the Lebanese Forces and al-Mustaqbal, as he stressed backing for a majoritarian electoral system, Ad-Diyar daily reported Tuesday.

“A hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems is no more acceptable on my part,” said Jumblat, stressing his support for a majoritarian voting system.

A mediator to negotiate the release of Lebanese servicemen abducted by the Islamic State group has arrived in the city of Raqqa, IS's stronghold in Syria, after coordination with the General Directorate of General Security to kick start efforts in that direction, al-Akhbar daily reported Tuesday.

The daily said, Turkish authorities have facilitated the transfer of the mediator from Turkey to Syria in an effort to negotiate the release of the troops who have been in captivity since August 2014.

Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel on Monday lashed out at the political forces over their failure to approve a new electoral law until the moment, noting that “temporary alliances” cannot secure “correct Christian representation.”

Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised the closing statement of the Middle East peace conference in Paris, which renewed the commitment to the two-state solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

On Twitter Hariri said: “We thank France for organizing the Mideast Peace and we thank President François Hollande for his just and courageous stance”.