There are Arab, regional and international efforts to resolve the Lebanese presidential crisis through the election of a “settlement president,” Arab diplomatic sources said, amid a progress in the regional files, especially as to Yemen’s war.

The “settlement president” should not be part of any axis and should be acceptable to the majority of parliament’s members, the sources told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published Friday.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has met more than once with Marada leader and presidential candidate Suleiman Franjieh, al-Jadeed reported.

The TV network claimed that the two leaders discussed Franjieh's presidential chances and that Franjieh asked Nasrallah during their meetings to be briefed in advance about any upcoming settlement.

MP Ashraf Rifi has described as “good” the meeting that was held Thursday in Yarze between Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari, French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and 21 Sunni MPs.

It was aimed at “facilitating the presidential election process,” Rifi told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Friday, noting that there is a new drive that might lead to the election of Army chief Joseph Aoun as president.

French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to Lebanon has failed to achieve any breakthrough in the Lebanese presidential file, a pro-Hezbollah newspaper said on Friday.

“It appeared once again that the Saudi stance has not changed … and this made everyone convinced that the dialogue that Speaker Nabih Berri has called for is hinging on the upcoming meeting of the representatives of the five-nation committee for Lebanon, which will be held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York before the end of this month,” al-Akhbar newspaper said.

Palestinian fighters have agreed a new ceasefire after more than a week of deadly violence in Lebanon's largest refugee camp, two Palestinian officials told AFP.

At least 17 people have been killed and around 100 wounded in the fighting in Ain el-Helweh refugee camp, on the outskirts of the port city of Sidon, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent's Lebanon branch.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Community Support Program (CSP), has celebrated the completion of the rehabilitation of the Aaitanit Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Beqaa.

In partnership with the Beqaa Water Establishment (BWE) and the Bouhaira Union of Municipalities, this $1.5 million intervention treats water for the villages of Aaitanit, Baaloul, Qaraoun, and Machghara, reaching more than 23,700 residents. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Minister of Energy and Water Dr. Walid Fayyad, Minister of Environment Dr. Nasser Yassin, USAID Lebanon Mission Director Julie Southfield, representatives from the BWE and the Bouhaira Union of Municipalities, and mayors of the benefiting villages.

Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on Thursday inspected troops at the Mohammed Zgheib Barracks in Sidon amid the ongoing deadly clashes in the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp on the city’s outskirts.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who had called for a seven-day dialogue, following which open presidential election sessions would be held, said those who rejected his call don't have any convincing reasons or justifications.

"The only explanation is that they don't want to elect a president," Berri said in remarks published Thursday in Tehran-based al-Wifaq Newspaper.

French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian has tacitly proposed the election as president of Army chief General Joseph Aoun in his latest meetings with Lebanese officials, media reports said.

“Several parties who met with Le Drian said that they understood from his remarks that he was proposing Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, albeit without mentioning him by name,” MTV reported.

French Special Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian resumed Thursday his meetings with Lebanese key players for the third day, by meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkerki.

Le Drian will later meet with the majority of the Sunni lawmakers -- except some MPs including Hezbollah's -- and Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari in Yarze.