Around 40 people were hospitalized in eastern Lebanon on suspicion of suffering from food poisoning after eating at a restaurant, the state-run National News Agency reported on Monday.

The cases were registered in the district of Baalbek, NNA said.

The Lebanese army blew up on Monday a suitcase placed on the side of a road in the eastern Bekaa Valley on suspicion that it contained explosives.

The bag was discovered on the Qob Elias road.

The angry families of the soldiers and policemen taken captive by jihadists blocked on Monday the Qalamoun highway and the Dahr al-Baidar road to demand their release, while the Muslim Scholars Committee accused some government powers of obstructing negotiations in their case.

The soldiers and members of the Internal Security Forces were kidnapped when militants from the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August.

Speaker Nabih Berri expected a parliamentary session scheduled to be held on Tuesday to meet the fate of its predecessors and fail in electing a new president.

“No progress has been made so far on an agreement to elect a new head of state,” said Berri in remarks published in al-Joumhouria daily on Monday.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front is holding the captives from the Lebanese army and police at a two-story house on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

The house lies near the so-called al-Nour encampment for Syrian refugees, the daily said.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam traveled on Monday to New York where he will urge the international community to provide more support to Lebanon before it “drowns” under the burden of the Syrian refugees and the repercussions of the war in the neighboring country.

“I will ask in New York for support for Lebanon before it drowns. I will also stress the importance of helping the state in carrying the burden of the Syrian refugees,” Salam told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

Families of Lebanese troops abducted by Syria-based militants on Sunday threatened to escalate their protests across Lebanon to press for the release of their loves ones, as some of them accused Hizbullah of obstructing negotiations between the Lebanese government and the kidnappers.

“We have been giving negotiations a chance but we haven't sensed any serious efforts,” families of captive troops said in Beirut's Martyrs Square, declaring an end to their “peaceful sit-in” and vowing to step up their moves.

A major traffic accident left five people dead on Sunday on the Jiyeh coastal highway between Sidon and Beirut.

The collision involved a Kia SUV and a BMW, according to the National News Agency.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi slammed on Sunday “authoritarian” Lebanese politicians for leaving Baabda Palace vacant for the past four months.

“Perhaps the nation's lawmakers are not aware that the president is the symbol of the country's unity,” said al-Rahi during his sermon.

Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat called on Sunday for the protection of Syrian refugees against violence sparked by the killing of Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by jihadists.

During a visit to the West Bekaa town of Ain Ata, Jumblat urged the Lebanese army to carry out its responsibilities and protect Syrian refugees.