A major hacking operation tied to Lebanon's main intelligence agency has been exposed after careless spies left hundreds of gigabytes of intercepted data exposed to the open internet, according to a report published Thursday.

Mobile security firm Lookout, Inc. and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said the haul, which includes nearly half a million intercepted text messages, had simply been left online by hackers linked to Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security.

The Military Court has handed down a six-month prison sentence to a journalist for presenting views critical of the army, a court official told the AFP news agency on Thursday.

President Michel Aoun stressed on Thursday that judgments made by the judicial institutions “must be respected,” the National News Agency reported.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired a Cabinet meeting on Thursday at the Grand Serail where he criticized media reports picturing “sharp differences” among political parties over contentious issues, saying that things are being exaggerated.

“Anyone who sees the sharp statements circulated in media outlets gets the opinion that political parties are deeply divided among themselves,” said Hariri at the beginning of the meeting.

The Cabinet on Thursday referred to the electoral ministerial panel a controversial suggestion from Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to extend the deadline for the registration of Lebanese expats who wish to vote abroad in the parliamentary polls, which if approved requires changes to the vote law.

The panel is expected to take a decision on Monday.

Masked armed men robbed the Lebanese Swiss Bank in Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan Thursday morning, firing gunshots and leaving with $17,000 in cash, media reports said.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil warned of attempts to introduce changes to the new electoral law saying they conceal intents to postpone the parliamentary elections, as he lamented listing the controversial topic on the Cabinet's agenda, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard on Wednesday hosted at the U.S. Embassy leaders of 32 municipalities selected to receive United States assistance to implement community development projects in 2018.

The new set of selected projects was announced during a public event at Le Gray Hotel on January 17.

President Michel Aoun stressed Wednesday that he will not tolerate any attempt to encroach on his presidential powers, amid a growing row between him and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

“We have reached the extent of encroachment on our powers and this is unacceptable,” Aoun said.

Serbian police said Wednesday they have arrested three Australians and a Lebanese national in an operation to dismantle an international cocaine trafficking ring.