Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday slammed those who “have been blocking the election of a president for the past 11 months, accusing them of “violating the constitution, destroying the republic, impeding economic and financial life, fragmenting authorities and impoverishing and forcing the people to emigrate.”

UNRWA says it has received reports that another school compound has now been taken over by armed groups in the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon.

“This brings the total number of schools taken over by armed groups in the camp to eight, risking the start of the school year in time for 5,900 children,” UNRWA warned.

A new study reveals that 25 countries, home to a quarter of the world's population, are facing extremely high water stress. Most are located in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

Repeated droughts around the world are depleting water tables and leading to water stress, in other words, demand for water is outstripping available resources. And the situation is not about to improve. By 2050, almost 60% of the world's population could be facing extremely high water stress for at least one month of the year. Such are the alarming findings of the World Resources Institute (WRI), which recently published data from its Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, detailing the countries most at risk of water shortages. It names the five most water-stressed countries as Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman. "The water stress in these countries is mostly driven by low supply, paired with demand from domestic, agricultural and industrial use," the WRI notes.

A man suspected of involvement in an attack last month on a Shiite shrine in Syria died following a Hezbollah pursuit late Friday in the Beirut southern suburb of Hay al-Sellom, the party said.

Wissam Dalla, a Syrian in his early twenties, "threw himself from the seventh floor" of a building where he had been staying with relatives "after learning his location had been discovered," Hezbollah said in a statement.

A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq has said that groups including Lebanon's Hezbollah are trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect — including his own.

Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press not to bow down even if it costs him his life.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says it has decided to suspend all of its services in Lebanon's largest refugee camp on Friday in protest against the presence of gunmen in its facilities.

UNRWA's decision went into effect shortly before noon Friday at the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon. Services will resume Saturday, UNRWA said.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Friday offered condolences in Kahale to the family of Fadi Bejjani -- the man who was killed in the clash with Hezbollah members following the overturn of a Hezbollah truck in the town.

Caretaker Prime Minister may take a break from his duties "if some parties continue to obstruct the government's work," al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Friday.

The daily added that Mikati has informed Berri and other officials that he has run out of patience.

Acting Central Bank Governor Wassim Mansouri will visit Saudi Arabia in September for a series of meetings, LBCI television said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has pledged to pay $7.5 million out of the Primesouth’ overdue fees in return for an instant activation of the al-Zahrani and Deir Amar power plants "even if he has to pay for it out of his own pocket", al-Akhbar newspaper reported Friday.

Primesouth, the company that operates the al-Zahrani and Deir Amar power plants, resumed its services Thursday after a short outage.