Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil announced Monday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed readiness to help Lebanon in the electricity and oil sectors.

“We thank President al-Sisi for the great affection he has expressed for the President (Michel Aoun), for me and for Lebanon,” Bassil tweeted.

President Michel Aoun on Monday stressed the need to speed up the formation of the new government amid the current circumstances in Lebanon and the region.

The National News Agency said Aoun followed up on the formation efforts throughout the day and received a series of phone calls.

Two people were shot dead Monday in the northern city of Tripoli in vendetta incidents.

“Lebanese citizen R. al-Khodr died after being shot in the Abi Samra area at the hands of an unknown individual who fled the scene,” the National News Agency said.

A man who was trafficking Syrians from and into Lebanon was killed Monday in the West Bekaa border town of Sawiri in a clash with security forces.

“A. Sh., aka Abu Rameh, was killed at dawn in the town of Sawiri in a clash with a patrol from the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch that was trying to arrest him,” the National News Agency reported.

The Israeli army on Monday accused Hizbullah of setting up a new observation point in south Lebanon near the border under the guise of an environmental NGO.

A senior military officer charged that the position, near the border village of Adaysseh and the Israeli settlement of Misgav Am, was a violation of U.N. Resolution 1701 prohibiting Hizbullah military activity in the area.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri emphasized on Monday that formation of the government is not impossible as some are trying to picture it, pointing out to the possibility of easing the obstacles delaying the formation.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil departed for Cairo to extend an invitation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to attend the socio-economic summit scheduled to take place in Beirut in January, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

As wrangling between political parties over ministerial portfolios continues to delay the government formation, a senior Lebanese politician told al-Hayat daily on Monday that the government has a set of delicate tasks ahead that it should handle as follows:

Controversy over the allocation of the justice ministry for the Lebanese Forces continues, amid reports saying that President Michel Aoun believes he made many concessions in the LF’s interest when he conceded the position of deputy premier, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Senior Hizbullah officials warned Sunday over the possible economic repercussions from the continued delay in the cabinet formation process.

“It is not possible anymore to speak of optimism or pessimism over the cabinet formation file,” Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said.