The northern city of Tripoli prepares for its by-elections on Sunday with Prime Minister Saad Hariri touring the city encouraging people for a massive turnout.

Economy and Trade Minister Mansour Bteish pursues his visit to Washington leading a Lebanese delegation for meetings with World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials, media reports said on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes conducted mock air raids over the southern city of Sidon after firing missiles overnight towards Syria from Lebanon’s airspace, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

As Lebanon marks the 44th anniversary of its civil war, Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan said “to push away the specter of war Lebanon has to keep on empowering the capabilities of its military and security services.”

President Michel Aoun president has told a visiting American delegation that Beirut rejects the U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights because it includes Lebanese areas annexed by Israel.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said “things are turning for the better” in the country and that his talks with President Michel are very “reassuring.”

Head of the Finance and Budget Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan assured from Washington after meeting with Marshall Billingslea, the U.S. Treasury’s assistant secretary on terror financing, that “no new sanctions on Lebanese officials,” the National News Agency reported on Friday.

Health Minister Jamil Jabaq asserted that international organizations and donors have realized through his work since taking office, that he does not belong to Hizbullah although the party called him to participate in the government, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported on Friday.

The Council of Ministers on Thursday failed to reach an agreement over a recommendation by the telecom minister to annul a 2014 decision granting postpaid cellphone subscribers 60 minutes free of charge.

Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah told reporters that the issue was postponed for further assessment.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Thursday that “the best decision we have taken in Lebanon is carrying out steps to address the deficit and austerity measures before the eruption of the crisis.”

“Other countries were obliged to take tougher, severer and more painful measures because they waited for the crisis to happen before beginning reforms,” Hariri said at the beginning of an ordinary Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.