Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday met with French Ambassador to Lebanon Herve Magro and handed him Lebanon’s official response to the paper that has been recently submitted by Paris as part of its efforts to pacify the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Expressing Lebanon’s “deep appreciation for the French efforts,” Bou Habib said the Lebanese response describes the French initiative as “an important step to reach peace and security in south Lebanon.”

As the efforts to reach a truce in Gaza ran aground and Israel’s threats to invade Rafah escalated, the Quds Force head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard visited Lebanon, Syria and Iraq last week and held talks with the leaders of the groups that are allied with his country, a media report said.

Former President Michel Aoun has informed Hezbollah that he does not support the group's point of view regarding involving Lebanon in Gaza's war.

"This is a losing battle," al-Akhbar newspaper quoted Aoun as saying, in a report published Friday.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib has lashed out at caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, accusing him of “encroaching” on his role as foreign minister through “his repeated attempts to usurp the ministry’s powers.”

Former prime minister and al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri on Thursday marked the anniversary of the March 14, 2005 mass rally by describing it as “a revolution of a people and a story of independence.”

“It will remain in our conscience and minds and we will not forget,” Hariri added, in a post on the X platform.

An Israeli tank killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon last year by firing two 120 mm rounds at a group of "clearly identifiable journalists" in violation of international law, a U.N. investigation into the Oct. 13 incident has found.

Head of France's foreign intelligence agency Nicolas Lerner has made a surprise visit to Lebanon for the first time since his appointment, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday.

Lerner discussed in Lebanon Wednesday the border situation and the diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip from spilling over into Lebanon, the daily said.

The "Youth Political Participation in Elections" project, implemented by Rashad Center for Cultural Governance within Adyan Foundation and in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, celebrated the conclusion of its activities with an exceptional closing ceremony and exhibition on Wednesday at the Beirut Metropolitan Hotel in Sin El Fil.

Lebanese youths from all over Lebanon were invited to join a virtual journey through a social media campaign and competition supported by several regional influencers. This event brought together young men and women, representatives from international non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and activists on this journey across Lebanese regions.

Israeli warplanes targeted Thursday a house in al-Naqoura and the outskirts of the southern town of Kounin, while Israeli artillery targeted Wadi Hamoul and the outskirts of Tayr Harfa.

Hezbollah had carried out five attacks on northern israel and the occupied Shebaa Farms on Wednesday, while Israeli warplanes struck overnight the southern border towns of al-Labbouneh and Mays al-Jabal.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday said that the fronts that support Gaza in the region “will be strongly present during this holy month” of Ramadan.

“The resistance has so far deterred the enemy from going to a war in Lebanon,” Nasrallah added, in a speech marking Ramadan.