U.S. President Barack Obama vowed to continue his country's humanitarian assistance to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to help those countries bear the burden imposed by the large influx of Syrian refugees.

The three countries “are obviously bearing an extraordinary burden from the displaced persons not just recently over the last few months, but for several years now as a consequence of the civil war in Syria,” Obama said at the end of a meeting for military leaders from more than 20 partner nations in the coalition to degrade and destroy Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Washington.

Bkirki spokesman Walid Ghayyad has denied that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and al-Mustaqbal movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri have discussed the names of presidential candidates.

Ghayyad told al-Mustaqbal daily that al-Rahi and Hariri agreed during their meeting in Rome Monday on the need to intensify efforts to elect a new president.

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed belief on Wednesday that the latest defections of Lebanese soldiers would not affect the military institution, stressing a drop in investments during war.

Sneaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Investment Forum 2014 in Geneva, Berri said that the announcement of several soldiers that they were joining the ranks of Syria-based jihadists were limited cases that did not affect the army or soldiers.

The March 14 alliance discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon, the ongoing presidential vacuum and parliamentary polls.

The meeting that was held at the Center House and chaired by head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora tackled the recent meeting between ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Rome.

Prosecutors could have a difficult time proving the desertion case against a Lebanese-born U.S. Marine who vanished from his unit in Iraq a decade ago, according to a military report.

The government has a circumstantial case and could have a hard time finding witnesses to testify against 34-year-old Cpl. Wassef Hassoun because the case is so old and many witnesses were Iraqis, the officer who presided over the military equivalent of a grand jury noted in the report.

The abductee Toufic Wehbi was freed on Tuesday evening in the outskirts of the Bekaa border town of Arsal after a hefty ransom was paid to his kidnappers, media reports said.

"A $50,000 ransom was paid for the release of Toufic Wehbi," LBCI television said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday rejected any military coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian armies and warned that the proposed Iranian grant would create “obstacles” for the country.

“It is inevitable to reach an internal settlement in order to preserve the military institution and address the repercussions of the Syrian war on Lebanon,” Jumblat said in an interview on OTV.

A resident of Arsal was briefly abducted on Wednesday from a Syrian refugee encampment in the northeastern border town, after gunmen accused him of “cursing God.”

State-run National News Agency said the man was released after his relatives threatened to “torch” the encampment.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday rejected what it called "Hizbullah's intimidation against the Lebanese," while stressing that "Tripoli and the North will always be supportive of the state against Lebanon's enemies.”

“The events that Lebanon are witnessing require addressing the core of issues in order to pull the country out of the current crisis,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, reiterating the need to “reach an agreement over a new president instead of pushing the country towards new dilemmas.”

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri denied on Tuesday media reports that said that he had discussed with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi alternative presidential candidates, while also stressing his support for the Lebanese army and its confrontation with extremists.

He said: “I did not discuss any names with al-Rahi. These claims may have been made to create sensationalist reporting.”