A series of protests were held in Riad al-Solh in Beirut ahead of a Cabinet session held at the Grand Serail.

MP Yassin Jaber affirmed that a visit scheduled for a Lebanese parliamentary delegation to Washington next Sunday “is not related to reports about new US sanctions,” against Hizbullah, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Thursday.

A ministerial panel tasked with studying a plan to solve the country’s chronic electricity crisis, will reportedly complete the final version of its report on Thursday to be submitted to Cabinet on Friday, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, President Michel Aoun has reportedly raised the “nomination of his son-in-law and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to the post of presidency in the next elections, asking for Putin’s support,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Wednesday described the handover of the body of an Israeli soldier missing since 1982 as a valuable gift to embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of elections.

“In the game of nations that manipulates the fate of peoples, the handover of the body of an Israeli soldier via unknown mediators is a free but precious gift to Netanyahu for his elections,” Jumblat tweeted.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday stressed Lebanon's commitment to the policy of disassociation from “all the tensions and fires” in the region and to the reforms recommended by the CEDRE Lebanon support conference.

The Lebanese Army has received six unmanned aerial vehicles as part of the U.S. military assistance program, the National News Agency said on Wednesday.

The delivery took place at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in the presence of Lebanese officers and representatives of the U.S. embassy.

Citizens will enjoy at least 20-hour per day power supply in early 2020, a minister said Wednesday after a meeting for a ministerial panel tasked with studying an electricity plan to resolve the country's chronic crisis.

“Near-complete consensus has been reached on the energy minister's plan and on the places where the temporary and permanent plants will be built as well as the generation capacity of each site,” Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said.

Israel announced Wednesday that the remains of a soldier missing since the 1982 invasion of Lebanon had been returned home, bringing to a close a highly sensitive case for Israelis.

Sergeant First Class Zachary Baumel had been missing since what is known as the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, said Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus.

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Wednesday charged Higher Council of Customs member Gracia Kazzi with “receiving bribes, money laundering and abuse of power.”

Aoun also slapped a travel ban on Kazzi pending the end of investigations and asked the Finance Ministry to suspend her from her functions at the Higher Council of Customs.