Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri kicked off his political activity in Lebanon by meeting U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa at the Center House.

Hariri had arrived Thursday in Lebanon and will on Saturday deliver a speech marking the 21st anniversary of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

President Joseph Aoun said Friday, a day ahead of the anniversary of former PM Rafik Hariri's assassination, that "a man who dedicated his life to the project of the state" is missed, as Lebanon moves to disarm Hezbollah and extend the state's authority to all territories.

Aoun described Hariri as a man who believed in the state and dedicated his life to rebuild Lebanon after a devastating civil war, and to strengthen the country's ties with the Arab and international worlds.

Israeli troops have recently intensified their incursions into southern border villages, where they detonate houses, bulldoze lands, uproot trees, and sometimes kill or abduct people.

They've also been dropping stun grenades to scare or disperse people, sometimes during funerals.

A meeting scheduled to be held in Doha to pave the way for the Lebanese Army support conference has been postponed, local al-Liwaa newspaper said Thursday.

The daily said it had learned from informed diplomatic sources that the Doha meeting will not take place next week, as scheduled, for technical reasons.

Israeli troops advanced Thursday at dawn into al-Nouriyeh neighborhood in central Kafr Kila, where they blew up a building.

Another force had pushed into the southern border town of Odaisseh overnight, demolishing another two houses on the outskirts of the town.

The American University of Beirut (AUB) announced the establishment of its Academic and Executive Hub in Dubai, "reflecting the university’s commitment to expanding its regional presence and strengthening its contribution to executive education, leadership development, and applied research across the Middle East", the university said in a statement.

Strategically located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the AUB Academic and Executive Hub is designed as a dynamic platform for executive education, academic collaboration, innovation-focused partnerships, and alumni engagement. It aligns with regional priorities for a knowledge-based economy and supports AUB’s long-term strategic vision to remain at the forefront of higher education in a fast-changing global landscape. The hub will also serve as a regional base for applied research, consulting projects, faculty-led seminars, and stakeholder dialogues on critical issues such as leadership, strategy, sustainability, digital transformation, and inclusive growth.

The General Directorate of State Security on Wednesday announced the arrest of a Syrian national who had conducted “deals” with Israel.

"As part of efforts to combat networks collaborating with the Israeli enemy, the Southern Regional Directorate of the General Directorate of State Security arrested a Syrian national for conducting deals with the Israeli enemy,” it said in a statement.

The accusatory body overseeing the lawsuit against Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar on Wednesday issued a ruling upholding the dismissal of the case previously made by Judge Habib Rizkallah.

The chamber, headed by Judge Elias Eid and including advisors Pierre Francis and Rabih Houssami, based its decision on the reasoning provided by Rizkallah while adding its own justification.

Israeli drones dropped Wednesday stun grenades near Ayta al-Shaab's cemetery in south Lebanon as the border village prepared to burry a man killed two days ago by Israeli gunfire.

The Israeli army alleged he was a Hezbollah member who "gathered intelligence on (Israeli) troops and operated to rehabilitate Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon".

The U.S. Department of the Treasury said Tuesday that it "took action to disrupt two key mechanisms Hezbollah uses to sustain its economic stability: revenue generation in coordination with the Iranian regime and exploitation of Lebanon’s informal financial sector."