Political parties in Lebanon are working to agree on two or three presidential candidates ahead of a presidential vote session scheduled for next week, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa told Al-Jadeed on Friday.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with neither of the two main blocs -- Hezbollah and its opponents -- having the majority required to elect one, and unable to reach a consensus.

Armed clashes erupted on Syria's border between the Lebanese Army and a group of gunmen following an attempt to reopen an illegal border crossing.

"Clashes have stopped in the Maaraboun area between the Lebanese Army and Syrian gunmen after several armed men were wounded. The gunmen retreated as the illegal border crossing remained closed," al-Jadeed TV reported on Friday afternoon.

The co-chair of the ceasefire monitoring committee, U.S. general Jasper Jeffers, toured the southern town of Khiam on Friday, accompanied by the commander of the Lebanese Army’s 7th Brigade, Brig. Gen. Tony Fares.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced Friday that “two small diplomatic suitcases carried by an Iranian diplomat aboard a Mahan Air flight” were allowed to enter through Beirut airport after the Iranian embassy “clarified that they contained papers, documents and cash for paying operational expenses exclusively related to the embassy’s operations.”

Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes Thursday evening on two mountainous areas in the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, deep in south Lebanon.

"Warplanes raided and destroyed a short while ago, with intelligence guidance from the intelligence authority, medium-range rocket launchers used by ... Hezbollah inside a military site of the organization. In addition, other rocket launchers were targeted next to another military site in the Nabatieh area," the Israeli army said

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Thursday with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who arrived on Monday in Lebanon, where a fragile truce since late November ended intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had met Monday with Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun, and visited Tuesday U.N. peacekeepers near the Israeli border in south Lebanon.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil has warned Hezbollah against supporting Army chief Joseph Aoun for the presidency, local media outlet al-Jadeed reported.

Al-Jadeed said Thursday it had learned from a parliamentary source that Bassil told Amal and Hezbollah he'd back Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea if they accept to support Aoun.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held phone talks with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot over the situations in Syria and Lebanon.

Israeli artillery shelling on Thursday targeted the al-Roumiyeh area between the southern towns of Beit Leef and Yater, the National News Agency said.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday commented on remarks by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem about the Lebanese state’s responsibility in confronting Israel’s violation of the ceasefire agreement.