Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi reiterated his call Thursday for the election of a president as soon as possible, stressing that any attempt to prolong the presidential void is against the stipulations of the Constitution.

Amnesty International has criticized the measures introduced by Lebanon in 2015 to curb the influx of Syrian refugees into the country, although it lauded Lebanon for hosting “over one million refugees.”

Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on Thursday slammed Saudi Arabia's labeling of Hizbullah as a “terrorist” group as one of the “most ridiculous” decisions that have been taken by the kingdom.

“The Saudi regime's designation of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization is one of the most ridiculous innovations of this flabby regime that has lost its balance,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The government announced on Thursday that the waste management plan, which was adopted over the weekend, will be implemented on Friday.

Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said after a cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail: “There are no obstacles hindering the implementation of the plan.”

The waste contractor for Greater Beirut, Sukleen and Sukomi stressed that the increase in the “value of their contracts” came as the result of the expansion in size and geographical scope of their work in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, slamming media reports questioning their integrity in handling the waste management file.

“The expansion in the size and geographical area of our work in the capital Beirut and Mount Lebanon was the main reason behind the increase in the contract work,” a statement by Sukleen said on Thursday.

The General Security Department said on Thursday that it has arrested a Lebanese man who has admitted to belonging to a terrorist group for the purpose of carrying out terrorist operations.

A communique issued by the agency said the man, whom it identified by his initials as Kh.F., admitted to investigators that he belongs to a terrorist organization and that he has actively participated with two other suspects in bomb-making.

Kuwait authorities have started to prepare lists of Hizbullah supporters to prevent their arrival in the country and others in anticipation of their deportation, reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper on Thursday.

Security sources from Kuwait's state security general directorate revealed that the names include Lebanese, Syrians and supporters from other nationalities.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has told his Russian counterpart that the Jewish State would not allow Iran and Hizbullah to establish a foothold on the Syrian side of the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The meeting between Rivlin and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday night came days after the Russian leader announced he would withdraw Russia's forces from Syria.

The Kataeb Party’s three representatives in the cabinet in addition to Minister Michel Pharaon have warned that they would take action if the government fails to resolve the “marginalization” of the general-directorate of state security.

Minister Alain Hakim and Pharaon said they would storm out of the session that is was chaired by Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Thursday.

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi said on Thursday that he boycotted a ministerial committee meeting to protest a decision by some donor countries to assist Lebanon by finding job opportunities for Syrian refugees.

“I won’t make compromises in that regard,” Qazzi, who represents the Kataeb Party in the cabinet, told An Nahar newspaper.