President Michel Aoun has affirmed that the binding consultations to choose a Prime Minister will be held on Thursday, as scheduled.

He said in a press interview published on Tuesday that he will respect the MPs' choice, as he expressed his worry about appointing a PM who is not supported by a great majority, who doesn't have the consensus of his sect or lacks conformity to the National Pact.

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon Najat Rochdi signed Monday a partnership compact between the Parliament and the U.N. Country Team in Lebanon (UNCT) to boost bilateral cooperation in key areas and achieve sustainable development, a joint statement said.

The developments of the past few days have put the re-nomination of caretaker PM Najib Mikati for the premier post in “serious risk,” MTV reported on Monday, adding that the various opposition factions are holding contacts behind the scenes in order to agree on a single candidate.

“The Progressive Socialist Party has agreed with the Lebanese Forces not to nominate Mikati and to agree on a common alternative candidate. The Kataeb Party has also expressed readiness to agree on a candidate for the opposition with its various formations,” MTV said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday said Lebanon was ready to expel Syrian refugees living in the country if the international community does not work to repatriate them.

Lebanon, grappling with its worst ever economic crisis, has the world's highest proportion of refugees in its population, with the government estimating that Syrians account for almost a quarter of its more than six million residents.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday authorities have detected the country's first case of monkeypox in a person who returned from abroad and is now isolating at home.

The ministry said the person is stable and that authorities are tracking the person's contacts. It did not provide further details.

MP Rami Fanj said Monday that the reformist MPs might name Former President of the United Nations Security Council Nawaf Salam as a Prime Minister, while MP Ibrahim Mnaimneh said that Salam's name is not definitive and that the MPs are still discussing the matter.

Earlier on Monday, the "progress" party named Salam, as the party's MPs Najat Saliba and Mark Daou continue their meetings with the other reformists in an attempt to agree on a common name.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, together with the Minister for Social Affairs Hector Hajjar and the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Najat Rochdi, officially launched on Monday the 2022-2023 Lebanon Crisis Response Plan at the Grand Serail.

"Eleven years into the Syria crisis, the Government of Lebanon and its national and international partners today appealed for $3.2 billion to address the ongoing impact of the Syria crisis through delivery of critical assistance to people in need and support to Lebanon’s public infrastructure, services and local economy, amid deepening vulnerabilities," the United Nations Information Centre in Beirut said in a statement.

The Progressive Socialist Party and the Lebanese Forces are discussing "how to make a settlement with a premier who would confront Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil," al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

"That's why PSP and LF representatives yesterday discussed the name of the candidate who would best represent their plan, and they found (in principle) no one better than Mikati to delegate him for this role," the daily added.

Hizbollah MP Mohammed Raad said Monday that the new PM will surely not be a saint but he must be pragmatic and he must "understand the importance of the resistance."

"Hizbollah has no illusion that the new PM will be a saint or an angel," Raad said, adding that the new PM "must be open to realistic solutions and at the same time must know the importance of the resistance in protecting the country and its crucial national role for Lebanon and the Lebanese."

Between 59 to 61 MPs will name caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the binding parliamentary consultations that will be held on Thursday in Baabda, sources said.

The sources told al-Joumhouriah newspaper, in remarks published Monday, that the number of the MPs who will name Mikati might increase, exceeding the parliamentary majority.