Lebanon's new president Joseph Aoun Saturday promised the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia that his first post-election trip abroad would be to the powerful Gulf kingdom, the presidency said.

Italy's foreign minister arrived in Beirut Friday to meet with Lebanon's newly elected president, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her strong support.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived in Damascus Saturday in the first such visit since before civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, an AFP journalist reported.

His visit comes as the neighboring countries seek better relations after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad last month.

Lebanon's new president and former army commander Joseph Aoun has maintained a low profile. Those who know him say he is no-nonsense, kind and averse to affiliating himself with any party or even expressing a political opinion — a rarity for someone in Lebanon's fractured, transactional political system.

Bilal Saab, a former Pentagon official who is now senior managing director of the TRENDS US consulting firm, often met Aoun while overseeing Washington's security cooperation in the Middle East. He called Aoun a "very sweet man, very compassionate, very warm" who avoided political discussions "like the plague."

President Joseph Aoun has announced that the binding parliamentary consultations to pick a new PM will be held on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the Presidency, Aoun will meet with the parliamentary blocs and independent MPs from 8:00 am till around 5:30 pm.

An Israeli drone on Friday bombed a van in the Tyre district town of Tayr Debba.

According to the Health Ministry, the strike killed five people and wounded four others.

The weakening of Hezbollah in last year's war with Israel allowed Lebanon's long deadlocked parliament to reach consensus around a president who has the confidence of the international community.

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her support on Friday for new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, saying he would be a "trustworthy" leader for the country.

The Biden administration and President-elect Trump's team closely coordinated to push for Gen. Joseph Aoun to be elected as the new president of Lebanon, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the issue told U.S. news portal Axios.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea celebrated the election of army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a more than two-year vacancy.

In an interview late Thursday with MTV, Geagea said that Aoun is the first president to be elected without the influence of the ousted Syrian regime and the "Axis of Resistance". He hailed the new president for past achievements, like refusing to suppress the Oct. 17 protests in 2019 and the army's unbiased reaction to the Tayouneh clashes in 2021.