The Lebanese army clashed with jihadists trying to infiltrate Lebanese territories at dawn Monday, leaving many dead and injured among their ranks, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported.

The infiltration attempt was made on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, which last month witnessed bloody clashes between the army and militants from al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stressed on Monday that he will discuss with PM Tammam Salam the issue of road blocking mainly that of Dahr al-Baidar emphasizing the necessity to persuade the families to open it, As Safir daily reported.

“It is a priority for us to address the issue of road blocking with persuasion, but if we failed to solve the issue we will discuss other options,” said Mashnouq.

Qatar's mediator has received oral pledges from the jihadists who have taken Lebanese soldiers and policemen captive that they would not kill more abductees, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

The daily said that the envoy, who is a Syrian and who has not been identified yet, met over the weekend with Lebanese officials and the representatives of the kidnappers of the troops.

The leader of al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has called on Lebanon's Sunnis to defect from the army.

"Sunnis, take your sons away from the army that serves your enemy, and make them join the ranks of the jihadists," al-Jolani, who heads al-Nusra Front in Syria, said in an audio recording on Sunday.

A group of youths stormed on Sunday evening al-Jazeera television office in Beirut protesting against what was issued by it about the army.

The youths declared protesting in the television's building until an apology is presented by al-Jazeera.

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri criticized on Sunday the Syrian National Coalition's complaint to the United Nations Security Council over the Lebanese army's treatment of Syrian refugees in the northeastern region of Arsal, deeming it as a “misstep” and saying that it disregards the ties between the Lebanese and Syrian people.

He said in a statement: “The Syrian National Coalition has the right to defend the refugees' humanitarian rights … but the interests of the refugees and Syrian revolt also requires them to raise their voice and demand the release of the Lebanese soldiers and policemen abducted by Islamists in August.”

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel recognized on Sunday the differences among the various parties of the March 14 alliance regarding next week's legislative session, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah.

He told the daily: “The discrepancies are not unusual, because the alliance is not a single bloc, but each side has its own assessment of affairs.”

Prime Minister Tammam Salam hoped that the case of the soldiers and policemen abducted by Islamists from Syria will be kept away from political extortion, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.

He told the daily that he supports holding negotiations with the captors in order to release the hostages, who were abducted in August.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Jamal al-Jarrah on Saturday announced that the rebel Free Syrian Army has managed to save the captive Lebanese troops from a “massacre” at the hands of their jihadist kidnappers.

“One cannot say that negotiations have taken place until the moment, but rather efforts by a number of good-willed individuals to secure the release of the hostage troops,” Jarrah said in an interview on Future TV.

An expat Lebanese boxer has been murdered in the Canadian city of Vancouver and the motives are likely sport-related, a media report said on Saturday.

“Alaeddine Ramadan, a 20-year-old boxing champion in the Canadian city of Vancouver, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday night,” LBCI TV reported.