Deputy Speaker Bou Saab was the first to meet President Michel Aoun Thursday, as the binding parliamentary consultations kicked off in Baabda.

Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement did not nominate anyone, neither did his bloc, except for Akkar MP Mohammed Yehya who named Mikati.

President Michel Aoun began consultations with members of parliamentary blocs on Thursday to name a new prime minister following last month’s parliamentary elections.

The MPs are divided between caretaker PM Najib Mikati and ex-President of the U.N. Security Council Nawaf Salam, while many had announced they will not nominate anyone.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Wednesday that “if needed,” the Israeli army “will march once again to Beirut, Sidon and Tyre,” while noting that Israel “does not want a war” and that it is “willing to go very far on the path to peace and settlement.”

Speaking at a rally in Kiryat Shmona to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Gantz said that should Israel need to “carry out an operation in Lebanon,” it will be “powerful and accurate.”

Lebanon's ailing economy should receive a welcome injection of more than $3 billion thanks to a rebound in tourist arrivals over the summer, the caretaker tourism minister said Wednesday.

A State Security patrol on Wednesday entered into Central Bank chief Riad Salameh's residence in Rabieh without managing to find him, TV networks said.

Saudi Arabia and Jordan stressed Wednesday in a joint statement “the importance of preserving Lebanon’s security and stability.”

MPs Michel Mouawad, Ashraf Rifi, Fouad Makhzoumi and Adib Abdel Massih said Wednesday that they will "exert strenuous efforts to create a substantial front" in the face of Najib Mikati's nomination for the PM-designate post.

The four MPs also announced having formed a new bloc, called the Independent Sovereign Bloc.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced Wednesday that the LF-led Strong Republic bloc will not nominate any figure in Thursday’s binding parliamentary consultations to name a PM-designate.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have stressed in a joint statement that Lebanon should not be a safe haven "for terrorism and drug smuggling."

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had discussed "regional and international files and the future of international cooperation" with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi as he visited Egypt on Tuesday.

Caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makari said Wednesday that al-Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh is a serious candidate for Presidency, as he confirmed that his party will name Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati as a PM in the binding consultations on Thursday.

By the end of the year, Parliament will pick a president to succeed Michel Aoun, who will be 89 by then.