The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers across the Arab world.
National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblatt said on Monday that he met Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in order to discuss the situation in Gaza and to know the latter's standpoint in this regard.
"We have both concluded that the Hamas movement and the Gaza Strip will triumph," MP Jumblatt told As-Safir newspaper.
"We have also agreed that Israel's practices, which are based on the use of force, arrogance and murder, cannot 'subdue' the people," Jumblatt added.
"National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblatt failed to get a pledge from Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to withdraw the candidacy of Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun from the presidential race," sources with knowledge of Jumblatt-Nasrallah meeting said on Monday.
The sources also told Al-Joumhouria daily that both officials tackled the presidential elections as well as the need to elect a new head of state.
"Political meetings to be held by Nasrallah in the next few days will be surprising," the same sources said, but did not elaborate further.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam said on Monday he was satisfied with the achievements of the cabinet session that was held last week, noting that key agenda items were consensually approved.
In an interview with As-Safir newspaper, Salam said he will call for another cabinet session next week in a bid to hold further discussions over the remaining items and add other key items.
PM Salam also stressed that the election of a new president remains a priority, adding that the presidential election is "the most important entitlement that should take place to end the country's current crises and revive the work of constitutional institutions".
"Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rai's stance he issued yesterday over the presidential elections, constitutes an unprecedented move," a ministerial source said on Monday.
Rai called for the election of a president who shall not be one of the four main Christian leaders (Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel and Marada movement leader Sleiman Frangieh).
The same source also told An-Nahar newspaper that the Patriarch's stance should be applied, otherwise external powers may intervene to suggest new candidates for the presidential elections.