The Lebanese government said it has decided to grant an Emirati request to hand over Egyptian opposition activist Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, son of the late spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qaradawi, also wanted by the Egyptian authorities, was arrested in Lebanon late last month after he crossed the border from Syria, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP at the time.

Caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati is to visit Damascus "soon", the information minister said on Tuesday -- the first such visit since Islamist-led rebels seized power in Syria last month.

"There will be a visit to Syria soon, headed by Prime Minister Mikati," Ziad Makari told reporters after a cabinet meeting. Last week, Mikati’s office said he had a phone call with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who invited him to Damascus.

U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, the Chairman of the Cessation of Hostilities Implementation Mechanism, was joined by French Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin on a visit to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) 5th Brigade headquarters in southwest Lebanon on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Embassy said.

The opposition and change MPs will have a “unified plan” in the January 9 presidential election session, MP George Okais announced after a meeting for the opposition and change MPs on Tuesday.

Paris is counting on U.S.-Saudi efforts to convince Speaker Nabih Berri to endorse Joseph Aoun’s presidential nomination, especially after U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh, An-Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has told Lebanon that the United States has not received any message from Israel about an intention to keep Israeli forces in south Lebanon beyond January 27, informed sources said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Tuesday described the Hezbollah-led “defiance camp” as a “liar” camp, but noted that the LF is however willing to “carefully consider” the nomination of Army chief Joseph Aoun if the defiance camp officially endorses him for the presidency.

Druze leader Walid Jumblat has said that Army Commander General Joseph Aoun is still his bloc’s presidential candidate, adding that his nomination has received “positive feedback from the five-nation group for Lebanon.”

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has urged Lebanon's politicians, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, to come together ahead of a vote for a new president following two years of deadlock.

"These are critical times for Lebanon... not just to implement this agreement, but to come to political consensus, to focus on Lebanon for Lebanese people," he said ahead of the vote on Thursday.

The five-party Cessation of Hostilities Implementation Mechanism, which is tasked with monitoring the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, convened at a UNIFIL position in Ras Naqoura Monday for the third Pentalateral Meeting, a joint statement from the U.S. and French embassies in Lebanon and UNIFIL said.