The third round of Lebanon's municipal elections was held on Sunday in the South and Nabatieh governorates following similar polls that were held earlier in Beirut, Baalbek-al-Hermel and Mount Lebanon.

People stood in queues outside polling stations to cast their ballots and after the polls closed Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced that voter turnout was 44% in Sidon city, 57.5% in Sidon's villages, 53% in Jezzine, 42.5% in Bint Jbeil, 47% in Tyre, 43.2% in Marjeyoun, 47% in Hasbaya and 49% in Nabatiyeh.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced on Sunday that the municipal elections in the town of Kfar Seer in the governorate of Nabatieh, have been postponed.

“We have postponed the elections in Kfar Seer because the majority of the candidates have withdrawn their nominations,” stated Mashnouq.

Police found on Sunday a fake bomb that was planted in a school in the southern city of Sidon, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The bomb was found in the Maarouf Saad Public School, and was wrapped with paper gift and tied to a timer clock.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed Friday that the killing of the group's top military commander, Mustafa Badreddine, will not push Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from war-torn Syria.

“Until today, the martyrdom of any of our leaders has not pushed us to leave any battlefield and Badreddine's blood will push us to a bigger presence in Syria... We will remain in Syria and more leaders will go into Syria,” said Nasrallah in a televised speech marking one week since Badreddine's death in a blast near Damascus airport.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry sent a cable of condolences on Friday to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi over the crashing of an EgyptAir flight carrying 66 people from Paris to Cairo.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants offers its deepest condolences to President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, to the families of the victims and to the people of Egypt,” said the statement.

Head of the parliamentary media committee MP Hassan Fadlallah emphasized that the committee will carry on efforts with regards to the illegal internet file until it reaches the final results that safeguard Lebanon's national security and the state's finances, As Safir daily reported on Friday.

“The committee will follow up closely on the internet file and all its branches. The file will not be closed until we reach final results that safeguard the national security and the state's finances,” Fadlallah told As Safir.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora stressed on Thursday that the bloc has not taken a specific stance with regard to Speaker Nabih Berri's suggestion on the parliamentary elections and that the issue requires further discussions, al-Mustaqbal daily reported.

“The bloc has not taken a positive or a negative position regarding Berri's initiative,” Saniora told the daily.

Speaker Nabih Berri said on Thursday that the “ball is now in the court of the politicians” and they can either agree on a new electoral law or settle for the 2008 one, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Visitors to Berri quoted him as saying that agreeing on a new electoral law has become inevitable and he said: “It is crucial that the political powers heed Lebanon's interest in agreeing on an electoral law that satisfies and represents all parties. They have no excuse to keep the country disabled.”

Speaker Nabih Berri proposed before the national dialogue participants on Wednesday a package deal aimed at ending the political deadlock in Lebanon, media reports said.

The deal calls for shortening the term of the current parliament and staging the parliamentary polls and later the presidential ones.

Families of the Aley district town of Ain Dara held a sit-in on Wednesday protesting an attack waged by armed gunmen against the municipality's building, the state-run National News Agency reported.