President Michel Aoun on Friday said some of the external pressures exerted on Lebanon especially on the economic level “were not new at all,” and highlighted the need for patience with regard to the recent fears over shortage in dollar reserves.

Kneeling beneath Lebanon's ancient cedars, Waheeb Humayed peers through a protective visor and waves a metal detector until he hears the tell-tale beep. He clips the grass, pushes a small prodder into the ground and gently sweeps the dirt away with a garden trowel, revealing another deadly mine.

Three decades after the civil war ended, deminers are still working to clear this mountainous northern region, famous for its centuries-old cedar trees, which are Lebanon's national emblem. Humanity and Inclusion, an international demining organization, says it has removed hundreds of mines and other explosives since 2011.

The central bank’s intention to issue instructions to regulate the provision of funds to import fuel, wheat and medicine; in addition to the emergence of a secondary market for the exchange rate of the Lebanese pound to the dollar, have all raised concerns about a shortage in dollar reserves, media reports said on Friday.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Friday said that Lebanon is recently facing a challenge at the economic level, as he accused “domestic” parties of “conspiring” against the country and its economy, the State-run National News Agency reported.

Petrol station owners in Lebanon on Friday suspended a strike and said they reached a deal with the government allowing them to pay suppliers in Lebanese pounds, following complaints over a shortage in dollars.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri mourned on Thursday the death of French ex-President Jacque Chirac.

Israeli warplanes conducted “intensive” overflights on Thursday hovering at a medium altitude over Nabatieh and Iqlim al-Tuffah, the National News Agency reported.

The opening concert of Beirut gay pride week was cancelled under pressure from religious institutions in Lebanon, organisers said.

Syrian-Lebanese economist Rouba Mhaissen won Norway's Rafto Prize on Thursday for her work defending the rights of refugees and migrants, the Rafto Foundation said.

Mhaissen, 31, is the founder and director of SDAID, an organisation that has since 2011 helped Syrians displaced by the war in their country and living as refugees in Lebanon. 

Lebanon launched its mobile 5G network service at the Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport on Thursday.