A ceasefire was reached on Thursday evening at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Sidon after renewed clashes killed a person and wounded several others throughout the day.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday lauded the Christian representation in Saad Hariri's government, saying it “corrects” the implementation of the National Pact, while noting that the hybrid electoral laws that have been proposed by the rival parties have no chance of being approved.

President Michel Aoun announced Thursday that the new government will be guided by the presidential oath of office, a day after the 30-member Cabinet held its first meeting and devised a panel to devise its policy statement.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Thursday at the Grand Serail with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, and the Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil held a joint conference on Thursday with his visiting French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault where talks focused on boosting relations between the two countries to confront joint challenges, the National News Agency said.

“Both sides are called forth to re-establish and boost Lebanese-French ties facing common challenges, terrorism, and migration,” Bassil stated.

Minister of Economy, Raed Khoury stressed on Thursday that fighting corruption is one of the priorities that the new tenure and the Free Patriotic Movement will focus on, the state-run National News Agency reported.

“Fighting corruption is the new era and the FPM's priorities,” said Khoury, stressing that price monitoring and control have begun with the start of the holidays.

President Michel Aoun held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and his accompanying delegation at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

Ayrault who arrived Wednesday evening, left the Baabda Palace without making a statement, NNA added.

During the first cabinet session held at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Wednesday, President Michel Aoun made a number of “commandments” advising members of the cabinet to abide by in order to hold productive meetings away from “stalling and political debate,” al-Joumhouria daily reported Thursday.

Aoun expressed satisfaction with the course of the first cabinet meeting, saying it reflected the “current balance of power in the country.”

The United States denied Wednesday an Israeli claim that U.S.-supplied armored vehicles seen being operated by Hizbullah in Syria had been given to the Islamist militia by Lebanon's official army.

Last month, footage emerged of Hizbullah fighters operating M113 armored personnel carriers in Syria, where the militia -- blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization -- is fighting in support of Bashar Assad's regime.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in Beirut Wednesday evening on an official visit.