The U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday that it has seized 13 domains used by Hezbollah and affiliates.

The United States obtained court authorization to seize moqawama.org, almanarnews.org, manarnews.org, almanar-tv.org, alshahid.org, manartv.net, manarnews.net, almanar-tv.com, almanar-tv.net, alidaamouch.com, Ibrahim-alsayed.net, alemdad.net, and naimkassem.net, the Department of Justice said.

Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel met Thursday with Democratic Gathering bloc MP Wael Abou Faour over the presidential file.

Gemayel had said Wednesday in a televised interview that meetings with other opposition parties are in an advanced stage.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has stressed that the election of a new president is the “beginning of beginnings,” warning that “the presidential election should be finalized before June 15 at the latest, seeing as no one would know where the country would head if the presidential vacuum continued.”

“The mother of all problems is the sectarianism that is deep-rooted in all the joints of the state,” Berri added, underlining that “there is a dire need to work for reaching a non-sectarian electoral law and implementing what has not been implemented of the Taif Accord, especially its reformist articles.”

Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari and Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh met Thursday at Bukhari's residence in Yarze.

The two sat in the garden after having breakfast to discuss the presidential crisis.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has stressed that the rival political camp “does not have any chance to impose a president” and is “gradually deteriorating.”

“In return, our camp started with a promising chance when it supported the nomination of (ex-)Minister (Suleiman) Franjieh, because he is the man of patriotic characteristics who shows openness towards everyone locally and at the Arab and regional levels,” Qassem added.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati might meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the sidelines of the Arab League's summit in Jeddah this month, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.

Bou Habib told al-Jadeed that Lebanon would welcome Syria for a visit but cannot economically cooperate with it for fear of U.S. sanctions.

The Free Patriotic Movement on Wednesday stressed the "independence" of its decision in the presidential file, saying it rejects the approaches of both the "confrontation" and "defiance" camps, in reference to the camps that support rival candidates Michel Mouawad and Suleiman Franjieh.

“The Movement calls on parliamentary blocs to draw lessons from the foreign stances on the presidential issue and to return the juncture to its domestic aspect,” the FPM’s political council said in a statement after a periodic meeting.

International and regional pressure for ending Lebanon’s presidential void has pushed political forces, including the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, to intensify communication in a bid to reach consensus over a presidential candidate, a media report and an LF MP said.

“The contacts have led to breakthroughs but have not yet reached the stage of consensus over a single candidate,” Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, which is close to the Saudi leadership, reported on Tuesday.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab met Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh, as he ends an "exploratory tour" he had initiated to discuss the presidential crisis with Lebanese leaders.

Bou Saab said he took the initiative, after parties refused dialogue, and that the first stage of his initiative ends today, and evaluation will follow.

Saudi ambassador Walid Bukhari met Tuesday with MPs of the majority-Sunni National Moderation bloc.

"Bukhari has stressed the neutral position of Saudi Arabia, and the need to expedite the presidential election,” the bloc said in a statement.