Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem insisted Friday that the ball is in the court of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri regarding the formation of the new government.

“As for us in Hizbullah, we have offered all facilitations to form the Lebanese government and from the very first day we stated our demands, which were not complicated, and the PM-designate accepted the demand to represent the party with three ministers,” Qassem said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi but said the murder should not be exploited to “besiege” Saudi Arabia.

“The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in that fashion was a brutal act that is unacceptable at all levels. But taking advantage of this murder for goals and objectives unrelated to the crime in a bid to besiege the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is condemned and rejected,” Geagea said in a statement.

The son of Hizbullah’s leader designated by the U.S. State Department this week as a "global terrorist" is a poet and music lover who is said to move around without security and whose role within the group is shrouded in secrecy.

Jawad Nasrallah, the 37-year-old father of four, is the second eldest son of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who has been at the helm of the Iran-backed group since 1992.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri hailed the Saudi Arabian decision regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The gridlock of forming Lebanon’s government may “prolong further” shall political parties adamantly adhere to their positions, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

Commuters got stranded in their cars for long hours on Friday morning when several streets to the capital Beirut were closed for army rehearsals ahead of Independence Day.

The wage scale for civil servants and armed forces is back to the spotlight amid reports alleging it could be “cancelled” due to “inaccurate cost estimations, and failed methods of funding,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday.

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil held talks Thursday in Bkirki with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi after which he urged all parties to “cooperate to find solutions” to the cabinet formation deadlock.

“Any clash, regardless of its nature, harms all Lebanese,” Bassil said, explaining why he has launched a mediation effort aimed at resolving the so-called Sunni obstacle that is delaying the formation of the new government.

The head of the Democratic Gathering MP Taymour Jumblat tweeted Thursday that “it is necessary to realize the importance of keeping the channels of communication open.”

“We must maintain our belief that dialogue is always a positive step towards overcoming all crises in order to strengthen stability and protect the country,” he added.

President Michel Aoun on Thursday expressed relief over the Bkirki reconciliation between the Lebanese Forces and the Marada Movement.

“Any agreement between the Lebanese parties, especially those who fought each other during the bloody events that rocked Lebanon, enhances national unity and achieves immunity for the Lebanese arena,” Aoun told his visitors.