Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Saturday hoped the Lebanese people will manage to get rid of whom he called the “hijackers” of their “dreams.”

“On Eid al-Adha, we extensively reflect on the meanings of this feast, hoping the Lebanese people’s sacrifices over the past years will translate into a better future that is full of welfare, safety and peace, after we get rid of the hijackers of our dreams,” Geagea tweeted.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard has written a farewell op-ed reflecting on his one year as the UK’s envoy to Lebanon.

Below is the op-ed’s full text as received from the British embassy:

Lebanon's membership in the World Customs Organization (WCO) has been suspended weeks ago, due to payment problems, al-Jadeed reported Friday.

"Lebanon has failed to pay its dues," the media outlet said, adding that "the Higher Customs Council is communicating with the WCO to restore Lebanon's membership.

A major progress is expected in the negotiations over the sea border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, according to media reports and to both Lebanese and Israelis.

Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar said Friday that Washington has been assuring the Lebanese political forces, through continuous talks, that Israel and the U.S. are not seeking escalation and that they are committed to resuming the negotiations.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati stressed Friday the need to speed up the government formation, before President Michel Aoun's term comes to an end.

"The tight timeline and the upcoming junctures require us to take proactive steps and to form a new government quickly, before the presidential election," Mikati said in a statement.

All consultations over the Cabinet formation have been halted, al-Akhbar newspaper said Friday, as it considered that no government will be formed before the end of President Michel Aoun's term.

Another media report, also published on Friday, said that Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will not meet before Wednesday, which marks the end of the Adha holiday.

President Michel Aoun urged the Lebanese on Friday to learn from Eid al-Adha the meaning of sacrifice.

"If only some (politicians) would sacrifice their interests for the sake of their homeland and the happiness of the Lebanese people," Aoun said in a statement on social media.

A fifteen-member delegation of Ambassadors and senior officials from the European Union (EU) visited UNIFIL’s headquarters and area of operations on Thursday, including a briefing at the Blue Line.

UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander, Major General Aroldo Lázaro, received the delegation in Naqoura and thanked the EU bloc for its support.

The members of the U.N. Security Council announced Thursday that they “took note of the appointment of Najib Mikati as the new designated Prime Minister on 23 June, as well as the presentation by the latter of his government line-up to the President of the Republic of Lebanon on 29 June.”  

An Israeli drone has killed a man who hails from the Syrian town of Hadar in Quneitra's northern countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.