UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col on Friday chaired this year’s first Tripartite meeting with senior Lebanese Army and Israeli army officers in Ras al-Naqoura. It was the outgoing UNIFIL head’s last Tripartite meeting.

The International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) met in Beirut Friday to review preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Echoing the U.N. Security Council press statement on Lebanon of 4 February 2022, and recalling its previous statements, the ISG reiterated its call for “free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections, as scheduled on 15 May 2022.”

Cars and houses were damaged when a pickup truck carrying gas cylinders caught fire and exploded on the Zouk highway.

Media reports said the blast shook buildings in the area and echoed across nearby regions. The flames also reached a residential building near the explosion site as damage to power lines caused a blackout in the area.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said Friday that a new law for the ports, including the port of Beirut, is being prepared.

He added, in a ceremony at the Grand Serail, that Beirut's port must be rebuilt for it to attract optimal investments.

Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi on Thursday announced that he has banned two pro-Bahraini opposition rallies that had been scheduled to be held at a Lebanese hotel.

In a statement, Mawlawi said the two events had been scheduled to be held on February 11 and 14 at the al-Saha Hotel near Beirut airport.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the 2022 state budget during a session at the Baabda Palace.

Speaking at a press conference after the session, Prime Minister Najib Miqati said the budget’s revenues are expected to be LBP 39,000 billion and its expenditure is expected to be LBP 47,000 billion.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, has visited southern Lebanon including Sidon, Bissariye, Sarafand and Amraa.

Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq on Thursday stressed that his party’s “clear and decisive stance” is against the postponement of the parliamentary elections.

“This stance cannot be distorted or misinterpreted,” he added.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Thursday called on all Lebanese to “cooperate with the government in its clear and difficult mission,” which is to “halt the collapse and work on finalizing a recovery plan that puts Lebanon on the course of stability.”

He added that the government “will oversee the organization of timely elections” seeing as it is “a chance for change,” noting that “launching a national program for economic recovery after completing the talks with the IMF would put the country on the track of strategic recovery.”

Families of the victims of last year’s explosion in Beirut’s port stormed Thursday the Justice Palace in Beirut, as they protested "towards justice."

Holding photos of their loved ones and Lebanese flags, the families rallied on Thursday morning outside the Justice Palace to urge a faster court decision regarding recusal lawsuits obstructing the investigation into the blast.