On behalf of the United States of America, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has extended his “sincerest wishes to the people of Lebanon on their Independence Day,” which Lebanon marks on November 22 each year.

“The Lebanese people are renowned for their rich and dynamic culture, and we recognize the resilience they have exhibited the past 79 years in confronting a series of critical challenges,” Blinken said in a statement.

MP Ahmed al-Kheir of the mainly Sunni National Moderation bloc has lashed out at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea without naming him, two days before a new presidential election session.

Describing Geagea as “the sponsor of the worst presidential settlement,” in reference to the understanding he reached with Michel Aoun prior to the latter’s election, Kheir accused the LF leader of seeking to install himself as the “spiritual guide of the opposition.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday lamented that Lebanon is celebrating its 79th Independence Day amid “a presidential vacuum and legitimate concerns over the present and the future.”

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh, who enjoys tacit backing from Hezbollah for his presidential bid, has opened a communication channel with Saudi Arabia through a businessman, a media report said on Tuesday.

The official exchange rate for the Lebanese lira against the dollar and circulars 151 and 158 of the central bank will be hiked to LBP 15,000 as of February 1, 2023, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has confirmed.

The Free Patriotic Movement has rejected the possibility of holding any caretaker cabinet session to officially approve a contract with Qatar to enable Tele Liban to broadcast the FIFA World Cup matches, media reports said.

“Qatar has agreed to sign the contract with Lebanon on the condition of paying the required sum of money, estimated at $4-5 million,” al-Liwaa newspaper reported Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss the Lebanese file with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden during an upcoming visit to Washington that will take place in two weeks from now, a senior French source said.

Asked whether Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil had proposed any solution for the presidential election crisis during his latest visit to Paris, the source told Annahar newspaper that Bassil did not suggest any exit.

Dialogue between Hezbollah and Army chief General Joseph Aoun has started, Arab Tawhid Party chief Wiam Wahhab said overnight.

The “dialogue” began with a meeting last week in Yarze between Aoun and Hezbollah Coordination and Liaison Officer Wafiq Safa, Wahhab told MTV, noting that the meeting was of a “political and not security nature.”

The United Nations World Food Program has agreed to disburse $5 billion in aid of Lebanon over the next 3 years, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday.

He added that an agreement has been reached with the WFP to increase the number of Lebanese benefiting from the organization's food assistance.

Depositors and activists rallied Monday near Parliament to protest a capital control law as joint parliamentary committees discussed it today.

The committees had convened last week to discuss the law, completing six clauses. They decided to resume the talks today, Monday.