Lebanese authorities have briefly detained a prominent Egyptian blogger and human rights activist, his lawyer and sister said, but the reason for his arrest was not immediately clear.

The first word about the arrest of Abdul-Rahman Tarek, also known by his nickname Moka, came from his sister, Sara Tarek. She posted on her Facebook page that her brother was detained by plainclothes policemen Wednesday afternoon from his apartment. She called for his release saying he had spent seven years in jail in Egypt until his release last year.

A Lebanese judge has banned Central Bank chief Riad Salameh from traveling, days after Beirut received an Interpol red notice following a French arrest warrant, a judicial official said.

The judge questioned Salameh and "decided to release him pending investigation, ban him from traveling, and confiscate his Lebanese and French passports," the official told AFP.

Hezbollah is seeking to secure one-half-plus-one of parliament’s votes for its candidate Suleiman Franjieh through “intensifying individual meetings with Christian MPs,” a parliamentary source said.

“It is trying to create a Christian bloc that would vote for Franjieh when a presidential election session is scheduled,” the source told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Wednesday.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Wednesday that Parliament's doors are not closed to legislative and electoral sessions.

"We hope that a president will be elected as soon as possible, which can only happen when parliamentary blocs show a sincere will to reach an agreement and overcome obstacles," Berri added.

A Qatari delegation will return to Lebanon in the next few days to continue its presidential initiative, a media report said on Wednesday.

“It will meet with a number of parliamentary blocs, especially from the opposition, as part of the efforts aimed at unifying their ranks and agreeing on a common presidential candidate,” ad-Diyar newspaper reported.

Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh arrived Wednesday at the Justice Palace to appear before Attorney General Judge Imad Qabalan over an Interpol red notice issued against him in France over corruption charges.

The Lebanese Judiciary also received an arrest warrant from Germany, and cabinet on Friday will decide whether or not to dismiss Salameh from his post.

MP George Atallah of the Free Patriotic Movement has noted that presidential negotiations between the Lebanese Forces and the FPM “have not stopped,” contrary to the latest statements and reports.

“There is a common concern between the two parties and the two leaderships are following up on this communication,” Atallah told LBCI television.

Hezbollah’s top lawmaker Mohammed Raad has said that his party’s latest military drill was aimed at telling Israel that Lebanon’s presidential crisis will not divert Hezbollah’s attention from confronting Israel’s “aggression against our sovereignty.”

“Some said that this was addressed to the Lebanese interior, knowing that the Lebanese interior does not need resistance, but rather dialogue, understanding and the rhetoric of tolerance among the sons of the same country,” Raad added.

A New Jersey software developer who prosecutors say once photographed landmarks in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., for possible terrorist attacks has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a federal judge who said it seemed he no longer was a danger.

In fact, Judge Paul G. Gardephe noted, Alexei Saab, 46, has become a model prisoner since his 2019 arrest, helping others incarcerated at New York City's federal jails to get high school equivalency certificates, learn English and find relief from psychological problems.

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi on Tuesday announced that Hezbollah is “very deterred from an all-out war against Israel.”

“It thinks it understands how we think. This thought brings it to dare and challenge us where it is sure it will not lead to war. I see this as a good way to create surprises if necessary,” Halevi said.