Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has hinted that he might change his mind and join the presidency race, as he lashed out at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea without naming him.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the "historic agreement" between Lebanon and Israel that unlocks offshore gas production was an "important step towards more peace" between the two sides.

Lebanon and Israel are expected to submit signed letters regarding their sea border agreement in the last week of October, according to the mechanism that has been agreed on, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab has said.

Amnesty International has urged the Lebanese authorities to reconsider their "voluntary returns" policy for Syrian refugees, saying it puts them at "risk of suffering from heinous abuse."

Qatar is interested in gas exploration in Lebanon, caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad said Friday, a day after President Michel Aoun announced Lebanon's official approval of a U.S.-brokered border demarcation deal with Israel, unlocking significant offshore gas production.

Fayyad said that Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi has expressed Qatar's interest in joining the companies that will explore the block 4 and the block 9, where the Qana field is located.

The contacts over the cabinet formation have ground to a halt and the past days did not witness any consultations in this regard, informed sources have said.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, however, might in the coming days present a line-up which he knows in advance that it would be rejected by President Michel Aoun, the sources added, in remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper published Friday.

Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that the sea border demarcation deal with Israel “does not require a debate in parliament because it is not an agreement with Israel.”

Berri added, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, that he has asked parliament’s general secretariat to distribute the deal’s text to MPs so that they take note of it, following calls by some lawmakers for discussing it in parliament.

Lebanon and Israel said they have struck a "historic" deal over a maritime border dispute involving offshore gas fields after years of U.S.-mediated talks, in a step that facilitates hydrocarbon production.

Here's what we know of the agreement:

Paris was contacting both U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein and Hezbollah to push for a resolution in the maritime border negotiations, media reports said.

LBCI reported that French President Emmanuel Macron has asked French multinational energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies to expedite the gas exploration in the Qana field and to compensate Israel from the company's share.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met Friday morning with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Colonna had arrived Thursday evening in Beirut to meet with top Lebanese officials.