Prime Minister Saad Hariri received Wednesday evening at the Grand Serail a delegation from the “American Task Force for Lebanon”, headed by its president Ambassador Edward Gabriel, Hariri’s press office said.

Lebanon expects a Russian delegation in Beirut next week to follow up on the Russian initiative to repatriate the Syrian refugees back to their homeland, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday

An Israeli commando force on Wednesday kidnapped two shepherds in the vicinity of the southern border town of Shebaa, the National News Agency said.

It identified the shepherds as Lebanese national A.D., who hails from Shebaa, and Syrian national M.A., saying they were taken into the occupied Shebaa Farms.

The Lebanese Army's naval force on Wednesday stopped a boat that was trying to leave Lebanese territorial waters illegally off the northern town of Qalamoun, the military said.

An army statement said the boat took off from Bhannine's shore carrying ten Syrians.

Two inmates were electrocuted to death Wednesday at the Bir Hassan police station, the National News Agency said.

They were identified by NNA as Kamal Mustafa Qahwaji, 33, and Palestinian refugee Moussa Khodr al-Khatib, 25.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday said that he will not accept a “sectarian” electoral law for the 2022 parliamentary elections.

“Fairness in representation will be guaranteed and we will not be dragged anew into a sectarian electoral law,” Berri said at the inauguration ceremony of the Al-Zahraa Hospital University Medical Center.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday visited the Baabda Palace where he met with President Michel Aoun, a day after he held a sharp-toned press conference.

“The meeting was positive and we agreed on the need to speed up the government's work to reach the needed achievements,” Hariri said after the talks.

Some “six hundred” middle school students staged a sit-in on Wednesday outside the Education Ministry premises protesting a failure to get the required examination cards, a move initiated as thousands of other students sat for the official Brevet exams.

President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Saad Hariri attended a ceremony on Wednesday marking the 100th foundation ceremony of the Court of Cassation.

The Free Patriotic Movement affirmed that the political settlement with Prime Minister Saad Hariri “did not fall,” as they praised the latest meeting between FPM State Minister for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati with Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Wednesday.