The United States will release convicted Hizbullah financier Kassim Tajideen three years into his five-year sentence due to his poor health and risks of COVID-19 infection from prison, according to court documents.

President Michel Aoun held talks Saturday with Prime Minister Hassan Diab at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, the National News Agency reported.

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Jebran Bassil on Saturday said Lebanon survived an attempt to topple its government, and pointed to what he said were “mass political assassination” bids against his party.

The ruling authority in Lebanon reportedly received new “strongly worded” international “criticism” which was reflected in unfavorable negative signals from the international financial institutions towards Lebanon, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat on Friday said he opposes Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s call for economic cooperation with Iran.

“The Iranian economic model is not convincing,” Jumblat said.

Lebanese national Qassem Tajeddine, who is held in the U.S. on charges of financing Hizbullah, will be released soon, Nizar Zakka said on Friday.

In remarks to LBCI TV, Zakka said he had called Tajeddine’s family weeks ago to inform him that the man will be released as part of a swap deal.

DR Congo's top court has intervened in an unprecedented corruption case involving a key ally of the president, less than a day before a lower court was due to issue a verdict, legal sources said Friday.

Cyprus further eased its coronavirus entry restrictions Friday, adding hard-hit EU partners Italy and Spain, and nearby Lebanon, to a list of countries allowed entry, but holding back on its two biggest markets.

Flights will now be allowed from over 30 countries across two categories, up from 19 when a commercial passenger flight ban ended earlier this month.

Lebanon on Friday confirmed 15 more COVID-19 cases, raising the overall tally to 1,510.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab held talks Friday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain el-Tineh.

LBCI television said the meeting was “part of consultations between the legislative and executive authorities.”